Zahara

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  • country:South Africa
  • style(s):Afro, South African
  • label:TS Records
  • type:Band
  • gender:female
  • instrumentation:guitar
  • artist posted by:Sheer Publishing

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  • Zahara

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The first album from South Africa's new singing sensation, Zahara sold out in only 72 hours.

This certainly doesn't come as a surprise to those familiar with the songstress's impeccable musical abilities. Hailing from a rural town called Phumlani in the Eastern Cape, Zahara born Bulelwa Mkuthukana is the 5th child in the family of six children born on the 9th of November 1987. She grew up in a humble family with her father worked at a battery factory and her mother a domestic worker. With the little that he earned, her father was able to buy building material and build them a house with his own hands.

Like most gifted musicians, Zahara began her singing career in the church choir. At the tender age of eight Zahara started performing as a solo acts at her local primary school; that's when she fell in love with the stage. For Zahara performing in school plays became a normal part of her school routine. Whilst through her young musical journey Zahara continued to be a fundamental part of the church choir, where she was taught by a church member to play piano.

After completing her high school she started listening to musicians Joan Amartrading, Tracy Chapman and India Arie and fell in love with the guitar. Coming from a modest home, Zahara could not afford to go to university for a year after finishing high school so she would spend all the free time she had on teaching herself how to play the guitar. Her parents were able to raise enough money for her to go to college the following year and that's where she started performing her songs and playing the guitar in public. She later started performing at well known venues around East London and started to make a name for herself.

Zahara was promised recording deals by different Johannesburg based producers but they all came to empty promises, until in 2010 march when TK Nciza, the CEO of TS Records went to East London for the holidays and was invited to go to a club where Zahara was performing together with other local Artists. TK not only offered Zahara the recording deal but took her back to Johannesburg with him and in August of the same year she was featured on Nhlanhla Nciza's Live DVD performing the song Loliwe. Zahara is a breath of fresh air and is sure to take South Africa and the world by storm, with an album recorded in the same studio that has recorded Jennifer Hudson and mixed in France and produced by well accomplished ROBBIE MALINGA and MOJALIFA THEBE.

Zahara took the country by storm winning Song of the Year at the 11th Annual Metro FM Awards. She was also crowned Best Female, Best Newcomer and Best Hit single of the year at the same Awards. Zahara has to date sold over 350 000 albums making one of the top 5 best selling artists of all time in South Africa. Zahara has over eight nominations for the upcoming 18th Annual South African Music Awards, including Record of the Year, Female Artist of the Year and Best Newcomer. With great international interest on this young songbird the sky is the limit.