Spotify’s Mother Of Music (MOM) is giving a powerful platform to six exceptional Durban-based photographers. Through this, Spotify is not just showcasing their work; the platform is telling the story of the city through their lenses and lived experiences. These are not just images; they are soulful reflections of Durban’s sound, textures, voices and spirit and are used in all promotional and marketing materials.
A Visual Diary from a Born Creator: Paige Furness
With an innate ability to capture vibrant emotion, Paige Furness, a photographer and multimedia student from KwaZulu-Natal, has always felt an instinctive urge to freeze fleeting moments. For Paige, being selected by Spotify is more than recognition – it’s a nod of encouragement to the quiet curiosity that has guided her since her childhood and a chance to represent the spirit of her home city with honesty and heart.
Ricky Badness: Surf, Struggle & Storytelling
A free surfer with global acclaim, Ricky Badness has found his second wave in visual storytelling. His work is a fusion of raw documentary and expressive abstraction. It speaks to the rhythms and ruptures of post-apartheid life in South Africa. For Ricky, photography and painting are survival tools, confronting personal history and social complexity with equal parts grit and grace. “Being part of this campaign is deeply meaningful,” he says. “It’s a moment of connection, a bridge between street corners and streaming platforms.”
Gift Dick Banda: Stillness in the Story
Gift Dick Banda’s images don’t just speak, they whisper, they linger, they invite. This artist of Malawian descent unearths emotion through rich textures and intentional frames. Self-taught and spiritually driven, Gift believes in photography’s power to transcend time and culture. “Spotify’s recognition is not just validation,” he says, “it’s a reminder that stories told with honesty will always find their way to someone who needs to see them.”
Ricky Laidlaw: Documenting the Now
Whether on film or digital, in colour or monochrome, Ricky Laidlaw is chasing the feeling of being there. His work, grounded in street and documentary photography, explores identity, community, and the contradictions of modern life. For Ricky, photography is both a mirror and a question – a record of truth and its infinite disguises. “To be featured by Spotify is an honour,” he says. “It puts local stories in a global frame.”
Rory Jacobs: The Art of Stillness
Known for his slow, observant approach, Rory Jacobs sees the extraordinary in the overlooked. Whether it’s a vendor at dawn or a quiet street humming with possibility, his images are meditations on presence. Rory doesn’t dramatise, he reveals. “Photography is how I stay grounded,” he says. “Spotify spotlighting this kind of work says: the everyday matters.”
Wanele Zungu: Mundane Majesty
Durban-based multidisciplinary artist Wanele Zungu transforms the mundane into magic. Self-taught and deeply grounded in his environment, he captures life as it happens: raw and real. His work highlights shared human experiences and the poetry in daily perseverance. “This campaign means our stories are finally being seen,” he says. “Not glossed over. But celebrated.”
A Movement in Motion
“MOM isn’t just about music or visuals. It’s about momentum, putting the city’s creative talent on the global stage, where it belongs. Through their photography, these artists are telling stories that resonate deeply and put Durban’s creative spirit on the global stage,” says Bea Theron, Experiential Marketing Manager, Sub-Saharan Africa.