Zuhura Othman Soud better known by her stage name Zuchu, is a Tanzanian singer and songwriter born on November 22,1993 in Zanzibar. She is currently based in Dar es Salaam and is signed to WCB Wasafi record label.[2]
Early life
Zuchu hails from a prominent musical family in Zanzibar, Tanzania, known for their contributions to Swahili music. Her mother is renowned taarab musician Khadija Kopa. Her father, Othman Soud, was a songwriter for Khadija Kopa and the celebrated TOT Band during its peak. He later became a police officer.
Through her mother, Zuchu had the opportunity to meet Diamond Platnumz, the founder of the Wasafi label, leading to an audition with him. During this audition, she performed two songs, including a rendition of "Wana," which subsequently became her debut single. Her performance earned her a place in the Wasafi Family in 2016.[3]
Career
Zuchu started singing at a tender age and later collaborated with her mother Khadija Kopa on a song titled "Mauzauza" from her debut EP I am Zuchu. Among her first appearances as a musician to the public date back to 2015 in the first edition of TECNO OWN THE STAGE in Lagos, Nigeria[4] which she auditioned together with Tanzanian singer, Nandy.
In 2022, Zuchu became the most subscribed female artist on Sub Saharan Africa on Youtube[5] and few months later she became the first female artist in East Africa to clock 100 Million streams on Boomplay.[6]
In 2022, Zuchu became the first female artist in East Africa to earn a nomination at the MTV EMAs.[7]
Zuchu started 2023 with a new single titled Utaniua, Utaniua was critically acclaimed as Tanzania's music journalist, Charles Maganga appreciated Utaniua as an intimate song where Zuchu pays homage to Bongo Flava and Baibuda [8]
In March 2023, Zuchu released her first official music video for the year 2023 for a new single titled Napambana.[9]
In June 2023, Zuchu announced that she had surpassed 500 million views on Youtube, making her the first female artist in East Africa and the fifth female artist in Africa to achieve this milestone.[10]
In 2023, Zuchu's 2021 hit titled Sukari was positioned at number 8 by Notjustok on their list of the best Tanzanian songs of the decade ranging from 2012-2022.[11]
Awards
In July 2020, Zuchu was awarded the Silver Plaque Button by YouTube for hitting 100,000 subscribers within a week.[12] She became the first East African female artist to reach that milestone within a week. She also became the first East African female artist to reach 1 million subscribers on YouTube 11 months later.[13][14]
In November 2020, Zuchu was named by AFRIMMA as the Emerging Artist Award winner.[15]
In February 2023, Zuchu received 5 nominations at the Soundcity MVP Awards, where she also performed at the award show.[16]
In April 2023, Zuchu won 5 awards at the Tanzania Music Awards.[17][18]
Personal life
In November 2022, Zuchu publicly acknowledged her romantic relationship with Diamond Platnumz.[19]
Discography
Albums
Zuchu released her debut EP album I Am Zuchu in 2020, with a total of 7 songs.[20][21]
