Zolani Mahola (born 19 July 1981) is a South African singer, actress, storyteller and world-renowned inspiration speaker, now also known under the stage name The One Who Sings. She is most famously known as lead singer of the internationally-acclaimed pan-African South African music group

Freshlyground Freshlyground are a South African Afro-fusion band that formed in Cape Town in 2002. The band members have different backgrounds, including South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. Freshlyground's musical style blends elements of traditional Sout ...

since 2002. On 15 August 2019, Mahola officially announced the launch of her solo career while the Freshlyground band went on to have their last performance after 17 successful years together on 31 December 2019 at Kirstenbosch Gardens in Cape Town.

Biography

Mahola was born and raised in the city of

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...

, Eastern Cape, South Africa. She attended Trinity High School (which later amalgamated into

St Dominic's Priory School St. Dominic's Priory School is an independent co-educational Catholic Pre, Primary, and High School in Godlonton Avenue in the suburb of Miramar, in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa. The school was founded in 1900. History In 1867, ...

). In her final year at high school, she worked as receptionist at

Makro Makro is a Dutch international brand of warehouse clubs, also called cash and carry stores. Makro was founded by SHV Holdings, a Dutch conglomerate based in Utrecht in partnership with German company Metro AG, with the first warehouse club ...

during weekends and school holidays. She grew up on Ntshekisa Street, a long and busy street in New Brighton, a

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

on the outskirts of

. She stayed with her dad and younger sister between 1999 and 2001. In 2011, Zolani and

gave a free concert on Ntshekisa Street as part of their 10th birthday tour. While studying a Theatre and Performance degree at the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...

, she was cast in the lead role in the television drama ''Tsha-Tsha'', which aired on

SABC 1 SABC 1 is a South African public television network operated by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) which carries programming in English and Nguni. It was created in 1996, after the SABC restructured its television channels. SABC 1 ...

. Mahola voiced the character of Zoë in the animated feature film '' Zambezia'' (2012), and also recorded the song "Get Up" for the original motion picture soundtrack.

Music career

Freshlyground (2002–2019)

Mahola and six other musicians formed Freshlyground in Cape Town in 2002. After Freshlyground published their second album, ''Nomvula'', in 2004, ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

'' described Mahola as one of South Africa's best and most inspiring young singers. She traveled to

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

Durban 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 ...

and

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

with English pop singer

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

in 2006, with Freshlyground performing as Williams' supporting act. The band supported

B.B King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimm ...

as the opening act of his late 2000's (year disputed) performance at the

Zenith The zenith (, ) is an imaginary point directly "above" a particular location, on the celestial sphere. "Above" means in the vertical direction (plumb line) opposite to the gravity direction at that location (nadir). The zenith is the "highest" ...

Paris. They also performed at

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...

at the 2009 46664 concert alongside

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

Jesse Clegg Jesse Clegg (born July 25, 1988) is a South African singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist, whose three studio albums, ''When I Wake Up'', his 2011 follow up ''Life on Mars'', and his latest, ''Things Unseen'', have made Clegg a platinum-selli ...

, the

Soweto Gospel Choir The Soweto Gospel Choir is a South African gospel group. History The Soweto Gospel Choir was formed in Soweto, South Africa, by David Mulovhedzi and Beverly Bryer, and producers Andrew Kay, David Vigo and Cliff Hocking in 2002. The more than 30- ...

and MC'ed by

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...

. At the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

, Mahola, with Freshlyground and

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...

, performed "

Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)", also known as "Waka Waka (Esto es África)" in Spanish, is a song by Colombian singer Shakira, featuring the South African band Freshlyground. Written, composed, and produced by Shakira and John Hill, it was r ...

" in the

opening Opening may refer to: * Al-Fatiha, "The Opening", the first chapter of the Qur'an * The Opening (album), live album by Mal Waldron * Backgammon opening * Chess opening * A title sequence or opening credits * , a term from contract bridge * , ...

and closing ceremonies. "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" was the official song of FIFA World Cup in 2010. At the Glamour Women of the Year Awards 2011, held on 25 July in Johannesburg, Mahola was among eight women honoured by the South African division of ''

Glamour Glamour may refer to: Arts Film * ''Glamour'' (1931 film), a British film * ''Glamour'' (1934 film), an American film * ''Glamour'' (2000 film), a Hungarian film Writing * ''Glamour'' (magazine), a magazine for women * ''The Glamour ...

''. ''Glamour'' declared both her and her bandmate

Kyla-Rose Smith Kyla-Rose Smith (born 10 September 1982) is a South African violinist, singer, and dancer, she performs with the Afropop musical ensemble Freshlyground, and with Kolo Novo Movie Band, a large ensemble that performs fusion music based on the music ...

"The Icons" of South African women in 2011. Mahola opened up in 2018 about starting a Solo project that would be independent of Labels and major sponsors

Solo career (2019–present)

On 15 August 2019, Mahola officially announced the launch of her solo career as a musician, storyteller and transformational speaker. In November 2019, Mahola wrote and starred in a one woman play based on her life entitled "The One Who Sings" at the

Baxter Theatre The Baxter Theatre Centre is a performing arts complex in Rondebosch, a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. The Baxter, as it is often known, is part of the University of Cape Town; it is also the second largest performing arts complex in Cape ...

in Cape Town. In 2020 she garnered a coveted Fleur Du Cap award as Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in the play. In January 2020, Mahola performed at Kirstenbosch Gardens with multiple Grammy Award-winning cellist

Yo Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma (''Chinese language, Chinese'': 馬友友 ''Ma Yo Yo''; born October 7, 1955) is an American cellist. Born in Paris to Chinese parents and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. ...

. The two collaborated with various Capetonian musicians including legendary Xhosa musician and South African "national treasure"

Madosini Latozi "Madosini" Mpahleni (25 December 1943 – 23 December 2022) was a South African musician, known for playing Xhosa traditional instruments such as the '' uhadi'' and ''mhrubhe'' musical bows, and the '' isitolotolo''. Madosini performed u ...

on a song performed at the United Nations in mid 2020 called "Amphibious Soul" in collaboration with th
Sea Change Project
(creators of

My Octopus Teacher ''My Octopus Teacher'' is a 2020 Netflix Original documentary film directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed, which documents a year spent by filmmaker Craig Foster forging a relationship with a wild common octopus in a South African kelp forest ...

) of which Mahola is an ambassador. Mahola released her first fully fledged solo single on the 27th of November 2020 entitled
Remember Who You Are
ahead of her planned 2021 release of her first solo album. She released the song as part of her ambassadorship of th
Give Her A Crown campaign
a female empowerment platform using storytelling to affect the Gender Based Violence pandemic in South Africa. In October 2021, her single "Wawundithembisile" featuring

Sun-El Musician Sanele Tresure Sithole (born 28 March 1989), known professionally as Sun-El Musician, is a South African disc jockey, music producer, and songwriter. Born and raised in Mooi River. He attended University of KwaZulu-Natal but dropped out to purs ...

was released. Her upcoming debut studio album ''Theta Mama'' which is scheduled to be released later in 2021.

Discography

* ''Theta Mama'' (TBA)

References

External links

zolanimahola.com
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mahola, Zolani 1981 births Living people 21st-century South African women singers South African actresses South African pop singers University of Cape Town alumni People from Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality Freshlyground members