Samsung Celebrates Una Rams’ Latest EP Launch With Y2K-Inspired Pyjama Party

Earlier this month, Samsung partnered with South African Grammy Award-winning artist Una Rams to celebrate the launch of his latest EP Hold Me When It’s Cold: The Cuddle Pack.

Hosted at Samsung’s lifestyle showroom DQX in Johannesburg’s Design Quarter, we enlisted three of the Hypebeast Africa Culture Scouts based in the city to attend the celebratory event. Tapping into Rams’ signature statement aesthetic, the “Nostalgia Ultra: A Y2K Pyjama Party” invited guests to arrive in their most-relaxed, vintage looks.

As well as a live rendition of Rams’ new EP, the event exhibited the latest Samsung gadgets — showcasing the intersection between music and tech. From the Freestyle 2nd Gen projector to the Galaxy Z Flip5, all the products featured played a part in the overall, immersive visual experience of the evening.

See what went down through the Culture Scouts lens below, all shot on the Samsung S23 Ultra.

Hypebeast: What was the “Nostalgia Ultra: A Y2K Pyjama Party” experience like?

Teboho Hlatshwayo: Samsung and Una Rams brought a retro vibe to the evening inspired by the ‘90s. As one of the scouts, I was fortunate enough to have been invited and check out the new DQX space as well as a performance from “Prince.”

A lot of familiar faces came out to support, join the celebration, and experience the music, company, and tech.

What were your highlights from the night?

My highlight has to be the insane gadgets that were showcased in the DQX headquarters and how seamlessly they all integrated into the event. From the Freestyle projector to the Odyssey Ark, it was all really well made and super interactive.

Hypebeast: What were your favorite looks from the event?

Nondumiso Shange: My favorite look was Una Rams’ full white jumpsuit. He stated that for this ensemble, he was inspired by the legendary artist Prince.

What did you think of the new EP?

There’s one song that stood out to me from his performance of Hold Me When Its Cold: The Cuddle Pack that sampled one of my favorite tracks, “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandi and Monica.

What excites you most about the country’s music scene at the moment?

Although the amapiano genre isn’t in Una Rams’ realm, I think that’s the most exciting thing about the South African music scene now. Seeing how the sound has gone global, especially with people in UK and different continents, it’s great to see the expansion and our reach. Even with artists like Tyla and Black Coffee, South Africans are taking the world by storm while keeping their authenticity.

Hypebeast: When arriving, what were your initial thoughts on the venue?

Day Marumo: The party was held at the Samsung showroom. There were a variety of new Samsung products as well as the Freestyle projector which brought the whole experience to life.

How did you find the curation of the event?

Una Rams’ performance was great. It was relaxed but also had a lot of energy. His music is perfect for creating a romantic atmosphere which the new album is all about. Attendees’ outfits were also really interesting and people were wearing vibrant colors and patterns — it took us back to the early ‘00s. Overall, “Nostalgia Ultra” was an awesome trip back in time that celebrated Una Rams.

What do you think about the growth of South Africa’s music scene?

It’s really exciting right now. It’s grown a lot and has been making waves internationally — DJs and artists from around the world are starting to like and use South African music styles. It’s cool to see how music from here is connecting with people globally.