Ndivhuwo Elaine Mukheli (born 2 April 1999), known mononymously as Elaine, is a South African R&B singer and songwriter from

Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...

. While studying law at the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The universit ...

, she self-released her debut EP '' Elements'' in September 2019. The EP reached No. 1 on both the national

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

and

Apple Music Apple Music is an audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users can select music to stream to their device on-demand, or listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the sister internet radio stations Apple Musi ...

album charts, making her the first independent female artist to do so.''Elements'' was certified Platinum by the

Recording Industry of South Africa Recording Industry of South Africa (RiSA) is a trade association representing the interests of major and independent record labels of South Africa. Located in Randburg, RiSA is responsible for running the annual South African Music Awards (SAMA ...

(RiSA) a year after its initial release, and in

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

it was nominated for Best R&B/Soul Album at the

South African Music Awards The South African Music Awards (often simply the SAMAs) are the Recording Industry of South Africa's music industry awards, established in 1995. The ceremony is held annually, usually in late April or May, with the judging process starting in ...

. Elaine was subsequently signed to

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

in December 2020.

Early life

1999–2018: early years

Ndivhuwo Elaine Mukheli was born in

on 2 April 1999. She started singing at age six and participated in the school choir and various talent competitions while growing up. In 2014 she received a gold medal at the 8th World Choir Games in

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

, Latvia. While attending high school, Mukheli began writing her own music. She began studying law at

in approximately 2018, and stated in November 2019 that she was part of the university's Golden Key Honour Society.

Career

2019-20: ''Elements''

Elaine uploaded her debut single, "Slip Away" onto

SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...

in February 2019, before officially self-releasing it in April 2019. Her follow-up single, "I Just Wanna Know" was released in August 2019. Elaine was the first South African artist to be part of

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

's Radar artist program alongsid
Taiylor Manson
. She released her debut EP, '' Elements'', on 29 September 2019. The 7-track EP was produced by Clxrity alongside Elizee from South African hip-hop duo Elizee and Malachi and was described by '' OkayAfrica'' as "a mellow blend of trap-

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

and R&B with incisive explorations of adolescent love." The EP was successful on streaming charts, helping Elaine clock one million accumulative streams within two weeks of its initial release. She was deemed as

's New Artist Spotlight after ''Elements'' reached No. 1 on the album chart in South Africa. At one point in February 2020, all seven songs from ''Elements'' simultaneously placed in the top 10 of the national Apple Music R&B/Soul songs chart. The EP, spawned the single " You're The One", which also topped both iTunes and Apple Music single charts. The single earned Elaine both her radio debut and first number one on the

Metro FM Metro FM is a national commercial radio station in South Africa owned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation. The station broadcasts on FM Stereo as well as the DStv Bouquet Channel 801. Telephone : History The station started broad ...

Top 40, as well as several weeks atop both the 947 Top 40, and KFM Top 40. Her debut music video for "You're The One" was released in early April 2020 and gained approximately 100 thousand views within 24 hours of its initial release. As of late April 2020, Elaine continues to "dominate" South African music charts. ''Elements'', along with every song on the project were certified Platinum by the

(RiSA) in July 2020. The EP was also nominated for Best R&B/Soul Album at the 26th South African Music Awards. Elaine was signed to

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

in August 2020. In November 2020, she was nominated for Best Female Southern Africa at 2020 African Muzik Magazine Awards. Elaine was announced as Most streamed South African women in South Africa by Spotify at position number 1 in December 2020.

2021-present: Singles and debut album ''Stone Cold Heart''

In May 2021, Elaine released her single "Right Now". A year later, on March 24, 2022, the single "Shine" was released, which she first teased the song on

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and

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. In September 2022, Elaine had released the single, "Deja Vu". In early October 2022, Elaine was announced as

's EQUAL Africa artist for October. The single "Loving" with rapper Blxckie was released on March 17, 2023. The song was certified Gold by the

(RISA). On August 2, 2024, Elaine released the single "Waiting on You", which served as the lead single for her debut album ''Stone Cold Heart''. The album was released on October 11, and within the same month, leading up to the album's release, Elaine was also announced as an EQUAL Artist Ambassador by Spotify.

Artistry

Elaine's musical style regarding

genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...

has been described as trap-soul (a blend of trap and

music),

alternative R&B Alternative R&B (also referred to as alt-R&B, indie R&B, and originally known as PBR&B, hipster R&B, emo R&B, or R-Neg-B) is a term used by music journalists to describe a stylistic alternative to contemporary R&B that began in the mid 2000s and ...

contemporary R&B Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music Music genre, genre, originating from African Americans, African-American musicians in the 1980s that combines rhythm and blues with elements of Pop music, pop, Soul music, soul, funk, Hip-hop, ...

, and

neo-soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from soul and contem ...

. She has cited R&B singers such as

Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American musician. She is celebrated as one of the most influential musical artists of her generation. Hill is credited with breaking barriers for female rappers, contributing to the popular music, m ...

and

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

as her biggest inspirations. Elaine's musical style has been compared to that of Tsakani Mhinga and H.E.R., as well as

Jhené Aiko Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo (; born March 16, 1988) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer and rapper. Aiko embarked on her musical career in 2002, as a backing vocalist and music video performer for the R&B group B2K. She was signed by the ...

and Summer Walker.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

Awards and nominations

References

{{Authority control 1999 births Living people Musicians from Pretoria 21st-century South African women singers South African singer-songwriters South African pop singers South African women pop singers Contemporary R&B singers Neo soul singers South African Venda people University of the Witwatersrand alumni Columbia Records artists English-language singers from South Africa Venda women