Current:Home > StocksSinger Zahara, South Africa’s Afro-soul sensation and beloved ‘Country Girl,’ dies aged 36-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Singer Zahara, South Africa’s Afro-soul sensation and beloved ‘Country Girl,’ dies aged 36
View Date:2024-12-23 20:25:19
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South African singer Zahara, who rose from an impoverished rural background to find rapid fame with multi-platinum selling albums and delivered her unique version of wistful Afro-soul in her country’s isiXhosa language and in English, has died, her family said Tuesday. She was 36.
Zahara, whose real name was Bulelwa Mkutukana, died Monday, her family said in a statement posted on her official page on X, formerly Twitter. It gave no cause of death. The family said last month that Zahara had been admitted to a hospital with an undisclosed issue and had asked for privacy.
“She was a pure light, and an even purer heart, in this world,” her family said in Tuesday’s statement.
Zahara’s debut 2011 album “Loliwe” — meaning “The Train” -- was certified double platinum and became South Africa’s second-fastest selling album after the 1997 record “Memeza” by Brenda Fassie, an icon of South African music.
Just 23 when “Loliwe” was released, Zahara was a sensation and immediately compared with Fassie, who also died young at 39.
Zahara won 17 South African music awards, was also recognized in Nigeria and was included on a list of the 100 most influential women in the world in 2020 by the BBC. She released four more albums -- one of them triple platinum and one platinum.
Zahara’s death prompted reaction from across South Africa, including all major political parties and South Africa’s Parliament, which said in a statement “it was difficult to accept the news of Zahara’s passing” at such a young age.
Zahara became known as South Africa’s “Country Girl,” a testament to her upbringing in the rural Eastern Cape province, but also how her award-winning music came with a highly-effective simplicity; through her voice and an acoustic guitar. Her songs were marked with references to her Christian religion but also to South Africa’s painful history of apartheid, even if she was only a young child when it ended.
In the single “Loliwe” — from the same album — “Loliwe” was the train that carried fathers, brothers and sons to the big city of Johannesburg to find work during the time of racial segregation. Many didn’t return and their families were left to wonder what had happened to them. The song was about “lingering hope,” Zahara said in 2012. But the lyrics also included the phrase “wipe your tears,” which she said urged those left behind to “pick yourself up and look forward.”
It resonated with a new generation of post-apartheid South Africans.
“She inspired us with Loliwe,” South African Music Awards spokesperson and former music journalist Lesley Mofokeng told TV channel Newzroom Afrika. “You could not ignore Loliwe. Her voice could reach the heavens.”
In an interview published by her record label after Loliwe’s release, Zahara said she began playing guitar on her own and wrote the songs for her first album without knowing what the chords were called.
“All along I was just using my ears,” she said.
___
AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
veryGood! (731)
Related
- Bluesky has added 1 million users since the US election as people seek alternatives to X
- Trading wands for whisks, new Harry Potter cooking show brings mess and magic
- Smithfield agrees to pay $2 million to resolve child labor allegations at Minnesota meat plant
- Shocked South Carolina woman walks into bathroom only to find python behind toilet
- Why Officials Believe a Missing Kayaker Faked His Own Death and Ran Off to Europe
- Burt Bacharach, composer of classic songs, will have papers donated to Library of Congress
- Man is 'not dead anymore' after long battle with IRS, which mistakenly labeled him deceased
- In an AP interview, the next Los Angeles DA says he’ll go after low-level nonviolent crimes
- Why was Jalen Ramsey traded? Dolphins CB facing former team on 'Monday Night Football'
- Louisville officials mourn victims of 'unthinkable' plant explosion amid investigation
Ranking
- Chipotle unveils cilantro-scented soap, 'water' cup candles in humorous holiday gift line
- See Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani's Winning NFL Outing With Kids Zuma and Apollo
- Sofia Richie Reveals 5-Month-Old Daughter Eloise Has a Real Phone
- USMNT Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal Leg 1 vs. Jamaica: Live stream and TV, rosters
- Will Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul end in KO? Boxers handle question differently
- Florida State can't afford to fire Mike Norvell -- and can't afford to keep him
- Eva Longoria Shares She and Her Family Have Moved Out of the United States
- Halle Berry surprises crowd in iconic 2002 Elie Saab gown from her historic Oscar win
Recommendation
-
Mason Bates’ Met-bound opera ‘Kavalier & Clay’ based on Michael Chabon novel premieres in Indiana
-
Manhattan rooftop fire sends plumes of dark smoke into skyline
-
The Best Gifts for Men – That He Won’t Want to Return
-
West Virginia expands education savings account program for military families
-
Exclusive Yankee Candle Sale: 50% Off Holiday Candles for a Limited Time
-
Mason Bates’ Met-bound opera ‘Kavalier & Clay’ based on Michael Chabon novel premieres in Indiana
-
Conviction and 7-year sentence for Alex Murdaugh’s banker overturned in appeal of juror’s dismissal
-
High-scoring night in NBA: Giannis Antetokounmpo explodes for 59, Victor Wembanyama for 50