Top South African Artiste Performing in Kenya This Week

Tusker Malt Lager’s TML 100 Club ia bringing another big artiste to Kenya. This time they are bringing South African singing sensation, Zonke. She will perform on 22nd November at The Nairobi Arboretum from 6:00 p.m.

It’s a tale to be told yet, a tale that is not yet finished–the rise and rise of Zonke. This gifted, beautiful singer is set to become an international sensation. She has the voice, she certainly has the looks and she definitely has the talent.

“My father was a drummer,” she says of her musical abilities. “When he was around there would be rehearsals in the house all the time. I didn’t ever see myself too much in school. My mother was a medical technologist, but she also wrote short stories for adults, very funny stories.”

Zonke was born and raised in the Eastern Cape, in a township called Kwa Zakhele just outside Port Elizabeth. “I couldn’t wait to get out of Port Elizabeth because there were no music studios there.” By 1997 she found herself studying HR in Bloemfontein. However, her passion for music was so strong that she made her way to Johannesburg and moved into a flat with her father and his new wife.

“It was an amazing time because I met musicians who I had only ever seen on television, people like Ringo and Deborah Fraser. My father was married to Anneline Malebo from the group, Joy, and she really helped kickstart my career as a musician. She introduced me to Joe Nina and that was the first time I sang as a professional musician.”

Soon she was doing backing vocals for a myriad of artists and even performed at the 7th All Africa Games. Her big break came when a producer hooked her up with a German band called Jazz Cantina. She wrote a track for them called Africa My Motherland.

Jazz Cantina were so impressed by the young musician that they returned to South Africa with a team of producers and engineers and recorded her music. It was released under the name Culture Clan and included two rappers. Culture Clan was released in South Africa and in Germany and they went on to win awards from both the Channel O and Metro FM Awards.

Zonke then went on to record her first solo album called Solotary, which was released through Columbia Records and released in Italy, Germany and Japan.

On her homefront she was introduced to Kalawa Jazzme through her sister and fellow vocalist, Lulu. The Kalawa Boys headed up by legendary Oskido were immediately impressed with her. In fact they were so impressed they immediately invited her to do a stint in Bongo Maffin when Thandishwa Mazwai was unavailable.

She also started writing for the company with hits like Thebe’s Groova’s Prayer. She finally released an album through Kalawa called Life, Love & Music. Many of the songs were house tracks and South Africa fell madly in love with her. Zonke had arrived. Behind the scenes she also continued making hits for other people. This included Mafikizolo, Don Laka, Black Coffee, Guffy Pilane and Winnie Khumalo’s Live My Life. She has recently written for Tshepo Tsholo and Theo Kgosinkwe.

With her new album she is attempting to break all rules. Called Ina Ethe (Give and Take in Isixhosa), the album is set for release thowards the end of the year. Her first single from the album, Jik Izinto, is currently enjoying high rotation on all major radio stations.

Zonke, an eight-time SAMA nominee, has also worked as an ambassador for Puma, Carpe Diem, Love Life, Estee Lauder and Tsogo Sun, and produced jingles for Coca-Cola, Agriforum, Asonge Scheme, Africa Magic and Xenophobia Song for the UN.

Tusker Malt 100 Club is a community of Tusker Malt consumers, providing them with the opportunity to discover rising African music talent and interact with each other via TML100.com.

Registration is currently taking place in select bars. Each Tusker Malt 100 club member is issued with a membership card which contains a unique membership number that provides access to information on various events, great African music and other member benefits. Through social media, you can connect with people you share common interests with and invite them for a Tusker Malt.

Listen to Zonke’s Jik’Izinto below.
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