'The Independent Music Show Magazine' August, 01, 2026 | Page 18

Justin Headworth grew up in the small farming town of Ionia, Michigan, where the rhythms of rural life planted the seeds for his country sound. In high school he was in FFA and a bull rider in the Michigan High School Rodeo Association and some IPRA events. He served as an infantryman and was stationed in Schweinfurt, Germany in the 90s, where he

learned to speak German. He now lives in “Free Soil, Mi USA”.

Headworth draws his influences from outlaw legends like

Hank Williams Jr. and Waylon Jennings, channeling their

raw honesty into songs about beer, backroads, and bad

decisions. He picked up the guitar at 18 while serving in

the Army, teaching himself to play and turning military

downtime into his first musical steps.

Now a Texas Country Music Association recording

artist, he’s been releasing music steadily with recent

singles like “Backwoods Boogie,” “Still a Hurricane,”

and “My Michigan Home,” plus tours across his home

state at spots like Best Bear Resort and Murphy’s

Tavern. He plays music with his neighbour and best

friend, Wayne Wright, and plans to tour with him

overseas. In 2026 he took the leap into producing his

own tracks, marking a new chapter of creative control.

Audio Video

Drax Africa - Lusaka, Zambia twin duo

Golden & Kelvin Mumba. Djooky Awards Best Indie

Track winners (Global & Africa),

two-time Artist Republik Song of Summer champions.

Drax Africa has been intentional in creating wonderful music that is

multiculturally acceptable while also preaching Love, Peace and Kindness

to the World.

Drax Africa is a Duo of identical twin brothers from the Copperbelt Province

of Zambia and among the most distinctive new voices to emerge from

independent Africa. Born and raised in Luanshya and Kitwe, the copper-rich region that produced Zamrock legends like Paul Ngozi, the duo moves fluidly across Afrobeats, Afropop, Dancehall, Zamrock, EDM, Pop, and cinematic sound, treating each genre as a

native language rather than a reference point.

Their debut album, Afro In Space: Gravity, releases 24 July 2026. The 18-track project features Jamaican dance-hall legend General Degree on lead single Under, alongside Y Celeb, 76 Drums, RAY DEE 408, Blood Kid Yvok, artists from Zambia, Congo, and Nigeria

In 2021, the duo's single Turn Around won Best Indie Track globally and in Africa at the Djooky Music Awards, judged by Brian Malouf (Michael Jackson, Queen, Stevie Wonder), Patrice Rushen (three-time Grammy nominee), and Bukola Izeogu (talent manager, Burna Boy). .