ZAHARA AND THE ZAHARAMANIA: SOUTH AFRICA ENTHRALLED BY A MUSIC SENSATION

When talent and a good preparation meet opportunity, success is inevitable. This is the lesson that Zahara, a new kid in the block of South Africa’s music industry, reminds every African visionary yearning for rise to fame and fortune. Who is Zahara?

Born Bulelwa Mkutukana twenty-three years ago in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, Zahara is a singer, songwriter and guitarist, and the latest music sensation that is rocking Nelson Mandela’s land with a seism-like impact. She has music in her blood for she has been singing since her tender age in her home village of the Eastern Cape, first at age six in her school’s choir, and later at age nine in the senior choir because of her strong voice. Then she grabbed the opportunity to meet a team of producers (Mojalefa Thebe and Robbie

Malinga) and the ingenious TK of TS Records. They brilliantly grasped and enhanced her sound, which led to the release of her debut album Loliwe (meaning train in isiXhosa) at the end of August of 2011.

Within just 19 days of its release, Loliwe has done the almost impossible, selling more than 100000 copies against the backdrop of the aftermath of the global economic meltdown and a resilient piracy challenge, and thence smashing all records of very short-term sells in South Africa’s music history. Some could contend that Brenda Fassie’s Memeza had sold over 500000 units a few weeks after its release. But what is ground-breaking with Loliwe is that Zahara is a newcomer in the industry, whereas Brenda Fassie was then already a household name. Later on, Loliwe CD sales are said to have hit more than 350000 within four months.

Furthermore, Loliwe’s success has been contagious like wildfire. It couldn’t leave indifferent Nelson Mandela, the world’s most acclaimed statesman, who recently invited Zahara (meaning ‘budding flower in Arabic) to a private concert for his entertainment. Even overseas invitations have been flooding, since she was booked to perform in France in late 2011 (just four months after the release of the album), and in the Netherlands and the USA early 2012. Her magnetism has driven her stable, TS Records, to insert a duet of her and the Zimbabwean artist Georgy into their single Incwad’ Encane—which ended up on the top of the charts, selling 200 000 copies.

Zahara’s unprecedented meteoric rise is confirmed by the immensity and value of the prizes she has won in a very short term (two years). First, she was crowned with her winning of Best Produced Album, Best Female Artist, and Song of the Year awards (Loliwe), Best Newcomer, and Hit Single of the Year (“Lengoma”—DJ Sbu feat Zahara) at the Metro FM Music Awards ceremony, held at the end of November 2011 in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga province.

But the paroxysm of the singer’s emerging career occurred at the 18^th Annual South African Music Awards (2012) ceremony, where, for the first time in the history of South African music, she clinched 8 awards: Female Artist of the Year; Album of the Year (Loliwe); newcomer of the Year; Best Selling Full-Track Download of the Year (Loliwe); Best Selling Album (Loliwe); Remix of the Year: Lengoma (DJ Sbu featuring Zahara); Best Smooth Urban Music Album; and Best Collaboration: Incwad’Encane (Zahara featuring Georgy Kanana).

Third, her triumphant march went on throughout the year 2012 with the winning of the Best Female Video award at the Channel O Music Video Awards, and of the Best Female Artist from Southern Africa at the Kora Awards. Last, but not the least, Zahara showed consistency in success a year later, to the delight of her fans, who are ever-growing in numbers, with wins and nominations at the 19^th Annual South African Music Awards. She won awards in the following categories: Best Collaboration (Thetha Nami—Riot featuring Zahara), and Best Selling Ring-Back-Tone (Loliwe). She also got nominated in three categories: Best Live DVD (The Beginning Live); Best Collaboration: Hold On, or Bambelela (Zahara featuring Leroy Bell and the Soweto Gospel Choir); and MTN SAMA Record of the Year for Umthwalo.

There are a couple of factors that explain this uniquely awesome phenomenon. On the one hand, Loliwe can be referred to, according to a proverb of Lingala (a DRC national language), as mutambu ekangi nzoko, motu na motu akata eteni ya ye (meaning an elephant trapped by hunters brings smile on every body’s lips: since its body comprises diverse parts, each having its own taste, everyone can enjoy it). Indeed, it is made on the intelligent mix of diverse sounds: folk music, Afro-pop, rock, maskandi, jazz, R&B and African traditional gospel, in the way to meet the needs of a wide range of people with varied musical tastes.

So it is transgenerational as well as transcontinental. On the other hand, its melodies, beautified by a trademark, heart-massaging guitar strumming and an enthralling voice, have healing powers in terms, for example, of casting out worries and the drive to suicide. That is why scores of young female talents in South Africa prefer now being initiated not only in songwriting but mainly in guitar-strumming. In the same token, Loliwe’s openness to the world music, while simultaneously safeguarding the motherland’s roots, can be observed in the fact that Zahara’s songwriting and guitar playing evoke comparisons with the likes of Tracy Chapman, though many lyrics are in Xhosa, so making for a distinctly South African sound.

Go on, Zahara, the new Queen of South African music. You are making Africa proud.