It’s 28C on a sweltering afternoon in London as crowds gather outside The O2 arena for a sold-out night with one of the world’s most renowned DJs.
Backstage, as an orchestra rehearses and cameras document his every move, South African superstar Black Coffee is preparing for one of the biggest performances of his career.
The Grammy Award-winning artist, whose real name is Nkosinathi Maphumulo and known for hits such as The Rapture Pt.III and Drive, was in London on Friday for one night before flying to begin his Ibiza summer residency.
Speaking to the BBC before his Afropolitan House O2 spectacle, he’s calm – despite the scale of the occasion.
Moments earlier, US singer Alicia Keys, his special guest for the show, had walked past backstage. Smiling apologetically, he tells us: “I’m keeping her waiting for you guys and this interview.”
For Black Coffee this show represents far more than another arena set. It is the culmination of a journey that began in small London clubs decades earlier.
“I’ve been here before,” he says. “I played in the Indigo room before, so it was always a big thing for me to move to the next room – the big one.”
The production is ambitious: a three-hour performance featuring a live orchestra, guest artists and surprise appearances. London audiences, he says, demand something different.
“London is known for clubbing for so many years,” he explains. “There’s a very big relationship with Ibiza. They’re just a clubbing community. London is punchier, groovier. So I had to build a different set for tonight.”