Vula Malinga (born May 15, 1980) is an American-born British singer. Born in the United States to South African parents, she was raised in

Hackney, London Hackney is a district in East London, England, forming around two-thirds of the area of the modern London Borough of Hackney, to which it gives its name. It is 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Charing Cross and includes part of the Queen E ...

. Her religious parents supported her singing talents by allowing her to join the church choir, which resulted in her becoming one of the lead singers for the

London Community Gospel Choir The London Community Gospel Choir is Britain's first renowned contemporary "performance touring, inspirational gospel choir band", fusing gospel with multi-genres of music, including pop, soul, jazz, R&B, and classical. It was founded in 198 ...

. This brought her to the notice of Basement Jaxx, with whom she sang lead on their single " Oh My Gosh". The collaboration continues to this day, and led to her supporting fellow Basement Jaxx singer

Sam Sparro Sam, SAM or variants may refer to: Places * Sam, Benin * Sam, Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso * Sam, Bourzanga, Burkina Faso * Sam, Kongoussi, Burkina Faso * Sam, Iran * Sam, Teton County, Idaho, United States, a populated place People and fictional c ...

on his tour. In 2007, she sang lead locals on

BBC South BBC South is the BBC English Region serving Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Dorset, Berkshire and parts of Gloucestershire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Surrey, West Sussex and Wiltshire, with geographic coverage varying b ...

's re-recording of the

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...

", created to help mark the 200 years since the passing of the

Abolition of the Slave Trade Act The Slave Trade Act 1807, officially An Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom prohibiting the slave trade in the British Empire. Although it did not abolish the practice of slavery, it ...

. In 2008, Malinga began developing her own music under her own record label, DivaGeek Records, releasing her first single "Wondering Why" in October. In 2009, she sang co-lead vocals for

Dizzee Rascal Dylan Kwabena Mills (born 18 September 1984), better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a British MC and rapper. A pioneer of grime music, his work has also incorporated elements of UK garage, bassline, British hip hop, and R&B. D ...

on his 2009 album ''

Tongue N' Cheek ''Tongue n' Cheek'' is the fourth studio album by British rapper Dizzee Rascal. The album was released on 20 September 2009 and includes the number one singles, " Dance wiv Me", " Bonkers", " Holiday" and " Dirtee Disco". It has been certified ...

'', and has supported him on live appearances, including

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

's ''

Live Lounge The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio stations BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. It was originally hosted by Simon Mayo, and later by Jo Whiley on her weekday mid-morning, and later weekend lunchtime radio shows, then by Fearne Cotton ...

'', '' Later... with Jools Holland'' and the 2009 BBC Electric Proms. "Better Days", the title song of

Incognito Incognito is an English adjective meaning "in disguise", "having taken steps to conceal one's identity". Incognito may also refer to: Film and television * ''Incognito'' (1937 film), a Danish film * ''Incognito'' (1997 film), an American crime ...

's 2016 album ''In Search of Better Days'', features Malinga as lead singer. In 2019, she collaborated as featured artist with English DJ Riton and Dutch producer

Oliver Heldens Olivier J. L. Heldens (born 1 February 1995) is a Dutch DJ and electronic music producer from Rotterdam. He is regarded as a pioneer of the future house genre, propelling it to international attention and scoring numerous chart successes, includ ...

on the song " Turn Me On", which interpolates "Doctor Love" by First Choice and " Don't Go" by Yazoo. Malinga performed live at

Trevor Nelson Trevor Ricardo Nelson, MBE (born 7 January 1964) is an English DJ and presenter. Early life Born in the London Borough of Hackney to a family of St Lucian heritage, Nelson attended Central Foundation Boys' Grammar School (now known as Centr ...

's Soul Christmas at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

in 2019. She is currently performing with The Horne Section on BBC's Crouchy's Year Late Euros. Malinga was a backing singer for Paul Weller when he performed with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at The Barbican on 15 May 2021

Discography

As a lead vocalist

MJ Cole Matthew James Firth Coleman, better known by his stage name MJ Cole, is an English garage DJ, record producer and remixer. Career Born in London, England, in his youth, Cole was classically trained on the oboe and piano, and won scholarships ...

– "Wondering Why" (2003) *MJ Cole & Wideboys featuring Vula – "Nothing But Trouble" (2005) *Wideboys & MJ Cole featuring Vula – "Body Language" (2005) * Basement Jaxx – " Oh My Gosh" (2006) *Basement Jaxx – "

Hush Boy "Hush Boy" is a song by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx. It was released in 2006 by record label XL as the first single from their fourth studio album ''Crazy Itch Radio''. It reached number 27 in the UK Singles Chart. Composition Wi ...

" (2006) *Vula Malinga - "If You Want It" (2008) *Basement Jaxx – "Galactical" (2014) *Background vocals on the

Sam Smith Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. After rising to prominence in October 2012 by featuring on Disclosure's breakthrough single "Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, they ...

song "

Pray Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified a ...

" * Riton and

featuring Vula – " Turn Me On" (2019) *

Pete Tong Peter Michael Tong, (born 30 July 1960) is an English disc jockey who works for BBC Radio 1. He is the host of programmes such as ''Essential Mix'' and ''Essential Selection'' on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio stre ...

featuring

Jules Buckley Jules Buckley (born 8 January 1980) is an English conductor, composer, and arranger. Personal Buckley was born and grew up in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire in the UK. He is the son of Keith Buckley (a doctor) and Joan Buckley, and attended Ayle ...

, Vula &

The Heritage Orchestra The Heritage Orchestra is a British orchestra founded by Chris Wheeler and Jules Buckley. They perform mainstream, cult, experimental and popular music. The orchestra, which ranges between 25 and 65 members, has performed internationally in ...

) - "Love Can't Turn Around" (2021) * Charlie Stacey - "Music Is Healing" (2022) https://thewickedsound.com/fresh-sounds-charlie-stacey-music-is-healing/

References

External links

VulaVocals
on Myspace {{DEFAULTSORT:Malinga, Vula 1980 births Living people 21st-century Black British women singers American emigrants to the United Kingdom American people of South African descent English people of South African descent People from Hackney Central UK garage singers