South African-founded music tech startup Moodswing has announced a landmark global partnership with Sony Music Entertainment (SME), gaining access to Sony’s extensive artist catalogue for integration into its AI-powered communication app.
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The partnership enables Moodswing users to add music to their voice notes and conversations, with the app’s AI engine analysing tone and emotion to recommend fitting tracks — from upbeat and romantic to dramatic or funny.
The goal: to make every conversation more expressive, emotional, and shareable.
“Music is the language of emotion — it helps us express what words alone can’t,” said Jimmy Muteba, co-founder and CEO of Moodswing.
“With over 3.5 billion people using messaging apps globally, the next evolution of communication is emotional. Partnering with Sony Music gives us access to world-class music to power that evolution.”
Founded by Muteba, a South African-French entrepreneur and recording artist (known as Capso), Moodswing leverages his extensive background in music and media — including collaborations with Wyclef Jean and Fally Ipupa, the creation of Trace Music Star, and production of the Netflix-licensed TV format The Coolest OG’s.
Moodswing has also secured a strategic partnership with Trace, the global Afro-urban media network.
Trace founder, Olivier Laouchez praised the startup’s innovation and Muteba’s leadership, calling the partnership “a natural fit for empowering artists and enhancing digital experiences.”
The company is currently raising its pre-seed round, with investors including Zachariah George (Launch Africa Ventures), Raj Kulasingam (Dentons), Audrey Verhaeghe (Anza Capital), Nadia Seemuth (Jambaar Capital), and Yosuke Yoshida (Emurgo Kepple Ventures).
George described Moodswing as “one of the most innovative products at the intersection of music and messaging,” while Kulasingam highlighted its potential to “create new revenue streams for artists and bring emotion into digital communication.”
Selected among the top 12 startups in the Création Africa 2024 accelerator — a French initiative supporting African creative tech — Moodswing is currently live in beta on iOS and Android, signaling the start of a new era where music and messaging meet.
