Loliwe (English: The Train) is the debut studio album by South African singer Zahara, released on 6 September 2011. The album's production was handled by Robbie Malinga and Mojalefa Thebe. It was supported by two singles: "Loliwe" and "Ndiza", and features a guest appearance from Georgyn Kanana. It sold over 20,000 copies and reached gold status within 72 hours of its release. Four weeks after it was released, it sold 210,000 copies in South Africa.[1] Furthermore, Loliwe sold 350,000 copies after four months of being on the market.[2] It is the second fastest selling album in South African history behind Brenda Fassie's Memeza, which sold over 500,000 copies.[3]
Zahara wrote most of the songs for the album prior to signing a record deal with TS Records in August 2010.[4][5] In her songs, she references apartheid activists like Walter Sisulu, Nelson Mandela and Helen Joseph. The title track "Loliwe" refers to the train that brought workers back home after many years of working in Johannesburg, where they often had other families.[5] In an interview, Zahara described the album as a "metaphor" and further said, "It's like ... just pick yourself up. No matter who's your father or who's your mother ... I believe that you're not a mistake."[5]
TS Records released the album's lead single "Loliwe" on 31 August 2011. Its accompanying music video was produced by Mastermax Films. "Ndiza" was released as the album's second single on 25 November 2011.[6] Zahara describes the song as "a place one goes to make their heart pure".[7][8] The music video for the song was also directed by Ash Dibben.
Loliwe is the debut, multi-platinum selling studio album by Zahara, released under T.S Records in November 2011. It was executively produced by Robbie Malinga, with Zahara playing the guitar chords herself in most of the songs.
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- South African singer Zahara, who rose from an impoverished rural background to find rapid fame with multi-platinum selling albums and delivered her unique version of wistful Afro-soul in her country's isiXhosa language and in English, has died, her family said Tuesday. She was 36.
Zahara's debut 2011 album "Loliwe" -- meaning "The Train" -- was certified double platinum and became South Africa's second-fastest selling album after the 1997 record "Memeza" by Brenda Fassie, an icon of South African music.
Zahara won 17 South African music awards, was also recognized in Nigeria and was included on a list of the 100 most influential women in the world in 2020 by the BBC. She released four more albums -- one of them triple platinum and one platinum.
In the single "Loliwe" -- from the same album -- "Loliwe" was the train that carried fathers, brothers and sons to the big city of Johannesburg to find work during the time of racial segregation. Many didn't return and their families were left to wonder what had happened to them. The song was about "lingering hope," Zahara said in 2012. But the lyrics also included the phrase "wipe your tears," which she said urged those left behind to "pick yourself up and look forward."
In an interview published by her record label after Loliwe's release, Zahara said she began playing guitar on her own and wrote the songs for her first album without knowing what the chords were called.
TS Records presents Zahara whose real name is Bulelwa Mkutukana in this South Africa music titled Loliwe from the album Loliwe for free downloads.
Not only has her voice leaved listeners want to listen more on her vibrant, promising, and listenable songs. Zahara has made her own label name in the contemporary South Africa as a whole. The album has sold more than 400,000 copies in South Africa, reaching double
platinum status.
Popular pot-stirrer and twelep Barry Roux recently tweeted that he wished that Zahara would re-record her Loliwe album so that she could start benefiting from it financially. The twelep implied that Zahara was not getting paid royalties for her music.
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