Published12. December 2023, 5:20 p.m.
South Africa: Afro-pop singer Zahara dies at 36
The artist had been battling liver disease since 2019.
The singer has often been compared to Tracy Chapman.
South African Afro-pop singer Zahara died at the age of 36 on the night of Monday to Tuesday, the government and her record company announced.
Singing in English and in her mother tongue, Xhosa, one of the official languages of South Africa, Zahara was often compared, for her style and her voice, to the American artist Tracy Chapman.
The singer, whose real name was Bulelwa Mkutukana, died in a hospital in Johannesburg. She had released five albums and won 17 South African Music Awards.
“I am very saddened by the passing of Zahara,” South African Culture Minister Zizi Kodwa said late Monday on the X platform. “Zahara and his guitar had an incredible and lasting impact on South African music. African,” he added.
His record company, Warner Music Africa, also said it was “in mourning”. The singer was hospitalized last month “following pain,” according to the family. She had publicly spoken about her battle with her alcohol addiction, and her manager revealed in 2019 that she suffered from liver disease.
She taught herself the guitar
Originally from a village near East London (south-east) and from a modest background, Zahara had enjoyed success with her first album “Loliwe” in 2011, exploding sales in record time.
She had started singing in choirs and learned to play the guitar on her own. She was notably invited alongside Hugh Masekela, James Ingram and Lauryn Hill to the largest jazz festival in Africa in Cape Town in 2012.
(AFP)
2023-12-12 17:33:27
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