Zanda Zakuza, also known as Zanda “Dragon” Zakuza is a South African house and

kwaito Kwaito is a music genre that emerged in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa, during the 1990s. It is a variant of house music that features the use of African sounds and samples. Kwaito songs occur at a slower tempo range than other styles of h ...

singer and songwriter. Born and raised in

Umlazi Umlazi is a township in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, located south-west of Durban. Organisationally and administratively it forms part of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality and its South Municipal Planning Region. It is the fourth largest ...

, she achieved widespread popularity after featuring on the singles "Skeleton Move" by

Master KG Kgaogelo Moagi (born 31 January 1996), known professionally as Master KG, is a South African musician and record producer. Born and raised in Tzaneen, his debut studio album ''Skeleton Move'' achieved acclaim including an AFRIMA Award for Best A ...

and "Club Controller" (2019) by Prince Kaybee.

Life & career

Zakuza was born and raised in

Durban, KwaZulu-Natal Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

but her family are from Bizana in the

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...

. She attended Pinetown Girls’ High School and later enrolled at the

University of KwaZulu-Natal The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) is a university with five campuses in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was formed on 1 January 2004 after the merger between the University of Natal and the University of Durban-Westville. ...

, where she studied music, specialising in jazz. Zanda left in her second year to pursue a music career; she, however, later returned to college to study business management and human resources. At her early age she preferred dancing and sports then later engage in music while in high school. During events when she performed, people at the event mostly shed tears due to the type of soul she always performed with.

Music career

After dropping out of university she made it clear that she spent a while without a job but before she was successful in music. She joined the industry in 2015 and signed a record deal with Open Mic Productions. On May 25, 2018, She released her debut studio album ''Synthia The Journey'', was released. The album describes the life of her mother supporting her music career. The album includes collaboration from Bongo Beats, Spirit Banger, Dr Moruti and Doc Shebeleza. On October 3, 2020, her single "Khaya Lam" featuring

and Prince Benza was released. On September 24, 2021, her single "Afrika" featuring Mr Six21 DJ, Bravo De Virus and Fallo SA was released. She received nominations for Best Female Artist in South Africa at

All Africa Music Awards All Africa Music Awards (also referred to as AFRIMA) is an annual awards event. The awards event was established by the International Committee AFRIMA, in collaboration with the African Union (AU) to reward and celebrate musical works, talents ...

Tours

Co-headlining

* Jerusalem Live Concert (2021) (with

)

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Synthia The Journey'' (2018)

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zakuza, Zanda People from KwaZulu-Natal Living people 21st-century South African women singers University of KwaZulu-Natal alumni 1993 births