Bulelwa Mkutukana (9 November 1987 – 11 December 2023), known by her stage name Zahara, was a South African singer, songwriter and guitarist. Her music was classified loosely as "Afro-soul", and she sang in Xhosa, her native language, as well as in English.
After signing a record deal with TS Records, Mkutukana's debut album, Loliwe (2011), went double platinum. Her second album, Phendula (2013), produced three chart-topping singles "Phendula", "Impilo", and "Stay". Zahara's third album, Country Girl (2015), was certified triple platinum. Following her departure from TS Records, she signed a record deal with Warner Music.[1] Her fourth album, Mgodi (2017), was her best-selling album and was certified platinum, while her fifth album, Nqaba Yam (2021), peaked at number 1 on iTunes.[2]
Born as Bulelwa Mkutukana in the Phumlani Informal Settlement of East London in Eastern Cape, South Africa,[6] Zahara was raised there with her parents Nokhaya and Mlamli Mkutukana, the sixth of seven children.[7] Zahara started singing in her school's choir when she was six years old, becoming the lead singer there,[8] and at the age of nine, she was asked to join the senior choir because of her strong voice.[9] Her stage name means "blooming flower" in Arabic.[8] As a child, she was known by the nickname "Spinach" after her love of vegetables.[10]
Career
Zahara's music is classified loosely as "Afro-soul" and she sang in her native language, Xhosa, as well as in English.[11] Her music has been described as a mixture of styles popularized by Tracy Chapman and India Arie.[12]
Zahara started her career busking on the streets of East London. She was signed to the label TS Records by TK Nciza.[13]
Zahara's debut album Loliwe was released in 2011, with the first issue being sold out within 72 hours.[11] Nineteen days later, the album sold more than 100,000 copies, reaching double platinum status in South Africa.[14] This made her the second musician to reach this figure in such record time after Brenda Fassie, also a Xhosa native.[15] Zahara released her first live DVD The Beginning Live in 2012, featuring X-Factor USA contestant LeRoy Bell, which reached platinum in one day, according to the standards set by the Recording Industry of South Africa.[16]
On 1 May 2012, at the annual South African Music Awards, Zahara won eight awards, including "Best Female Artist" and "Album of the Year".[17]
In 2013, Zahara released her second studio album, Phendula, which won three South African Music Awards for Best Selling Album, Best R&B, Soul and Reggae Album and Best Female Artist of the Year. The same year, Nelson Mandela invited her to his home to perform a private bedside concert. She then composed "Nelson Mandela" in his honour and released it as an EP.[18]
2014–2018: Country Girl, Mgodi
In July 2014, Zahara's younger brother was murdered in East London. According to Zahara, she went through a period of depression after his death, but recovered enough for the 2015 release of Country Girl.[19] In 2015 at the Eastern Cape Music Awards, she won the two awards "Best Female" and "Best Artist 3".[20]
In early 2017, Zahara signed with Warner Music South Africa.[21] On 13 October 2017, she released her fourth studio album Mgodi,[22][23] which went gold after only six hours.[24][25] To further support the album, Zahara embarked on her Africa All Star Music Festival, visiting three venues in United States.[26] The tour began in Toronto, Canada, on 17 August 2019, and concluded on 24 August 2019, in Washington, D.C.[27]
Mgodi won Best Female Act at the 2018 Next Generation Entertainment Awards.[28][17]
2021–2023: Nqaba Yam
Following a four-year hiatus, Zahara announced her fifth studio album on CapeTalk site and later released the album's lead single "Nyamezela" on 7 May 2021.[29] On 30 July 2021, she released a second single "Nqaba Yam".[30] The album was initially set to be released on 9 July 2021, but was delayed due to COVID-19 lockdowns and finally released on 13 August 2021.[31][32][33][34]
In December 2021, she teased her first Amapiano single on Twitter.[35] In November 2023, Zahara's debut amapiano single,"Guqa Ngedolo" was released.[36]
On 11 December 2023, Zahara died at a hospital in Johannesburg, at age 36.[37][38] She had been admitted mid-November with liver complications which worsened until she became unresponsive.[39] She had suffered with liver disease after problems with alcoholism, according to her manager in 2019.[40]
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