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A self-taught musician who sang in English and Xhosa, he is a leading figure in fresh Afro-soul, known for his sincere voice.
By John Yoon
Zahara, the South African singer-songwriter whose soulful voice and heartfelt ballads earned her platinum albums and accolades at home, died Monday in a Johannesburg hospital. He was 36 years old.
His circle of relatives showed his death on social media but did not cite the cause. Litha Mpondwana, a spokeswoman for South Africa’s Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, said Zahara had been hospitalized for several weeks.
“My deepest condolences to the Mkutukana family and the South African music industry,” Zizi Kodwa, the minister, said on social media, adding that officials had been “with the family for some time now.” He continued, “Zahara and her guitar made an incredible and lasting impact in South African music.”
She was born Bulelwa Mkutukana on November 9, 1987, in the village of Phumlani in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, and grew up listening to the songs her mother played on the radio before finding love for singing. She became the lead singer of their Sunday School Choir at age 6.
Zahara began her musical career on the streets of her hometown. She claimed that she had never obtained any formal musical education and that she had taught herself to play the guitar.
“There’s a difference between a gift and a talent,” he said in a 2021 interview. “I’m gifted, talented. “
Her father gave her the nickname Zahara, which is Arabic for “blooming flower,” she said in the same interview.
Since her debut album, “Loliwe,” in 2011, Zahara’s music has won critical acclaim and found good luck on the music charts. Nelson Mandela invited her to his personal apartment to give a concert at his bedside before his death in 2013. His most recent album, “Nqaba Yam”, was released in 2021.
Zahara, who sang in English and Xhosa, her local language, was known for her husky and heartfelt voice, compared to those of Tracy Chapman and India. Arie, and his acoustic instrumentals. His collaborations with titans of the African music industry, such as the creation of a song organization Ladysmith Black Mambazo, musician Robbie Malinga, and Nigerian singer-songwriter 2Baba, have cemented his position in fresh Afro-soul music. She was named one of the BBC’s one hundred women in 2020.
Through her lyrics, she spoke of her faith, her struggles and her dreams. She described her songs as stories of her experiences and thoughts.
“I write about my life,” he said in a 2022 interview. If you want to know mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally where I am, where I’m centered, stop by and get my albums.
Zahara’s younger brother, Mbuyiseli Mkutukana, was killed in 2014, after which she said he went through a period of depression. In 2021, her older sister, Nomonde Mkutukana, died in a car accident. Over the years, he has spoken publicly about his struggles with alcohol addiction.
Zahara has campaigned on behalf of women experiencing violence in South Africa, something she says she experienced in her mid-twenties. “Prayer was given to me at this difficult time,” he told the BBC. “There is nothing better than prayer. “
John Yoon reports from the Times newsroom in Seoul. In the past he worked for the Coronavirus Tracking Team, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2021. He joined the Times in 2020. Learn more about John Yoon
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