Zahara Went From Singing in the Streets to International Stardom Without Ever Learning To Play the Guitar
Zahara has come a long way since growing up in Eastern Cape, where her roots as a singer started in childhood. The star grew up with an instinctual talent for music that quickly got her discovered. Since she started singing, Zahara gave South Africans some classics, such as Loliwe and Phendula.
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Zahara was Bulelwa Mkutukana before she decided on a stage name right as she got started on the music scene. The songstress worked tirelessly to become a superstar, boasting over 40 awards in her career and nearly ten awards on a single album, Loliwe.
Source: Instagram
Zahara's history and how she found fame
Zahara had a big family, as she was the sixth out of seven children. She was born on 9 November 1987 to her mum and dad, Nokhaya and Mlamli Mkutukana, and they lived in East London.
Where did Zahara study?
News24 reports that Zahara was nicknamed Spinach during her childhood in Phumlani informal settlement outside East London in Eastern Cape. The young singer grew up, and after her family could not afford her tertiary education, she focused on the guitar she found in her family home.
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Zahara always maintained that she is a self-taught guitar player. Zahara said she didn't know how to play the guitar when she found it. In an interview on The Insider, she said:
"I was never taught how to play the guitar, it just comes from the heart."
When did Zahara start singing?
Zahara's raw skill was the key to finding her fame, as she was discovered while busking in East London. From there, she was offered a record deal by TK Nciza's TS records, and she settled on her stage name Zahara, which means "blooming flower" in Arabic. The singer went on to drop her first song in 2011.
What happened with Zahara's career after discovery?
Zahara burst onto the music scene with her album Loliwe, a spectacular success in 2011. The album sold out within 24 hours and reached double platinum status 19 days later. Zahara made history as the second musician to ever achieve these record numbers after Brenda Fassie.
Zahara's first-ever album won eight SAMAs, which included Best Female Artist and Album of the Year. Zahara followed her 2011 success with Phendula, and the album won multiple categories, including Best-Selling Album and Best Female Artist of the year.
Zahara's Nelson Mandela song and meeting the legend
A memorable moment in Zahara's life was when Nelson Mandela invited her to perform privately at his home. in 2013, News24 reported that Mandela complimented the singer saying:
"Zahara, you are a very special girl, and South Africa is blessed to have you. The stars upon you, may they shine wherever you go".
To further honour him, she released an EP titled Nelson Mandela.
Zahara, where is she now?
Zahara continued to give fans jams after her second album and released her third album, Country Girl, in 2014. She received recognition for it at the Eastern Cape Music Awards, where she was dubbed Best Female Artist.
In early 2017 Zahara changed record labels and signed with Warner Music South Africa. With them, she dropped a fourth album and the last album to date, Mgodi, which achieved gold status within six hours.
Zahara went on international shows to promote Mgodi, with three stops in the United States. Zahara also travelled to Toronto, Canada and Washington, DC. Her fourth album was dubbed the Best Female Act at the 2018 Next Generation Entertainment Awards.
Zahara took a break from music between 2018 and 2021, when she returned with singles titled Nyamezela and Nqaba Yam.
Zahara has also since made her TV debut as a guest judge on Idols South Africa season 17 with Dineo Ranaka. This gig proves that she has enough experience in the industry to give helpful feedback to others.
Zahara has been a lasting force in the South African industry.
The hitmaker solidified herself as one of the country's most iconic voices and will remain etched in the country's memory thanks to her gift.
Mzansi can only wait in anticipation of what she has in store next.
"Don't drink": Zahara shares stunning snap living it up in Congo, SA trolls her
Briefly News previously reported that Zahara is living it up in Congo, as proven by her social media posts.
The 33-year-old recently took to Twitter to show off her sixth day in the African country by posting a stunning pic. Zahara wore a stunning colourful jumpsuit in the photo.
The picture post has received over 6000 likes and 191 comments, and people continued to comment on it.
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Source: Briefly News
