Born Keziah Zoë Meyers in Kimberley, South Africa, lordkez is carving out space in the rising new wave of South African R&B. Her debut EP, Revenge Season, earned her Apple Music’s New Artist Spotlight in June 2019, setting the stage for a dynamic musical evolution. Since then, she’s released four projects, Charcotta, midsummer, Testament and, most recently, You, Me & The 90s. In our conversation, lordkez reflects on the making of You, Me & The 90s, tracing its inspiration back to her roots and the sacred journey of coming home to herself.

When I asked her about the name “lordkez”, she smiled and shared its surprising origin: Kylie Jenner’s old Instagram handle, King Kylie. “I was obsessed with royalty and aristocracy,” she admits. For the artist, the name became more than just a moniker – it became a mindset.

“I used to be a very shy and introverted person when I was younger, and the name lordkez grew on me. It demanded confidence. I feel like music has also, in turn, taught me so many things, and most importantly, it’s taught me that being yourself is always the key.” 

Coming Home in Every Sense

lordkez‘s journey into music began in the pews of her childhood church. It was there, surrounded by the echoing sounds of worship, that she first encountered the organ, played by her mother. “My initial memory was fear,” she recalls, “The organ pipes sounded really scary and ominous, and I was drawn to that.” That curiosity eventually led her to learn the instrument, gradually stepping into her mother’s role, as well as earning a place in the church choir. “This really was where lordkez was born.” You can hear the gospel choral influences in the artist’s music today, most prominently in her 2023 project Testament.   

But becoming lordkez wasn’t an easy path. . Growing up in a small town was difficult, where artistic ambition was rarely nurtured and often left her feeling out of place. It wasn’t until she lived abroad in Abu Dhabi for a time that she truly gained perspective and felt inspired to find her own voice. She eventually returned to South Africa, carrying with her a stronger sense of identity and purpose. “It was like coming full circle, I was coming home in every sense”.

A Sacred Offering

Throughout her journey, her connection to God has remained a guiding force. “One of the things that has always lived with me is that music is a spiritual thing. It’s an act of God, you know?” lordkez says. “Every time you engage in the arts or do something artistic, your brain waves slow down and you enter an absolute flow state.” For lordkez, music is more than a career; it’s an act of faith – a sacred ritual that connects her to her highest self, beyond judgment and the physical world.

Now I’m channeling my higher self
Like I get high by myself
– lordkez “Find Me in the Trees”

This notion of self is at the very core of lordkez’s music, as both the starting point of her creative process and the lens through which she views her artistry. For her, music is a space of duality: part performance, part personal healing. “There is a portion that is performative and a portion that is sacred,” she explains, “I’m saying these things so that you can understand them, but then there’s the deeper, more sacred part of it that says, ‘This is one of my issues that I need to overcome, so I’m going to use music as a vehicle to get over that.’” 

Though lordkez pours much of herself into her art, a sacred part remains untouched – held close, just for her. It’s this balance that enables her deep connection with others, giving voice to her struggles and opening space for listeners to do the same. In turn, her music becomes both a refuge and a revelation. 

Love Letter to the 90s

I was struck by Keziah’s thoughtful perspective and curious to learn more about the visual and creative process behind her work. She tells me that before anything else, she sees the lyrics, beginning often as fragments of observation drawn from the surrounding world. To capture them, she says, you have to slow down. “Life is supposed to be lived slowly,” she tells me, before adding, “That is my mantra this year – to be present.”

“I love that little inspiration that comes when something beautiful happens. You know, when you see something and it’s just like, wow, there’s a poem happening there. Yeah, that’s how the creative process all really starts.” 

We shift our focus to her latest album, You, Me & The 90s. For lordkez, this project is more than just a nostalgic nod – it’s a reclamation. “With this project, I wanted to honour the things that inspired me growing up,” she says. The album is an amalgamation of electronic-infused R&B, Afrobeats and Neo Soul with inflections of the soulful melodies and sounds of rap she grew up listening to. You can hear her 90s influences in the music, from the intricate, soulful vocals and introspective lyrics of Erykah Badu to the powerful ballads of “Queen of South African pop”, Brenda Fassie. She reveals to me she used to live next door to the stadium that Brenda Fassie once played at, and wanted to embody the feeling of listening to her “I wanted to have fun with the music for once… I wanted to feel how other people feel when they listen to my music, like how I felt listening to Brenda Fassie.” The sound, the feeling, the energy of the 90’s all served as a sonic backdrop to her coming of age, and her EP is a love letter, both to that era and to herself. 

Truly Aligned

“Everything starts with the self,” lordkez tells me, a sentiment that pulses through every layer of the record, “When you’re out of alignment with yourself, you’re out of alignment with everything and everyone around you.” This project, she explains, is a testament to how far she’s come, both personally and creatively: “It is me digging so deep to the point where I no longer question who I am.”

One of the most symbolic moments of that process was letting her natural hair grow out, something that has always sparked conversation. In many African societies, and particularly in South Africa, Black women’s hair has long been politicised and scrutinised, often seen through a colonial lens that devalues natural textures in favor of Eurocentric beauty standards. Choosing to grow out and wear natural hair is a personal and political act of reclaiming identity, heritage, and agency. “I look like this, and my hair is different, and I’ve always stuck out like a sore thumb, really,” she reflects. “But this time it was about claiming everything. This is who I am. I’m an artist. I love love. I make music. And this is who I’m going to be for the rest of my life.”

You, Me & The 90s is a journey through love in all its forms: “Falling in love, falling out of love, being in love with yourself, having boundaries within love.” But at the core of it all is self-love, the kind that grounds you, shapes you, and sets you free. 

Rooted in self-love and guided by spirit, lordkez is a testament to the power of self-awareness; that when you truly know yourself, everything else begins to align. In the end, lordkez reminds us that the most sacred journey is the one back to ourselves – and that through music, we can all find a way home. 

You, Me & The 90s is out now via Ditto Music. You can stay up to date with lordkez via Instagram and her website.