Simphiwe Dana (born 23 January 1980) is a South African singer and songwriter who works mostly in her mother tongue, the

Xhosa language Xhosa (, ) also isiXhosa as an endonym, is a Nguni language and one of the official languages of South Africa and Zimbabwe. Xhosa is spoken as a first language by approximately 8.2 million people and by another 11 million as a sec ...

. Dana is also known for her creative social commentary and activism through music as a political art form. Her career in music began in 2002, at the age of 22. Born in Butterworth and raised in

Lusikisiki Lusikisiki is a town in the Ingquza Hill Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The name is onomatopoeic, derived from the rustling sound of reeds in the wind, named by the local Xhosa people. Lusikisiki is 45 kilometer ...

Transkei Transkei (, meaning ''the area beyond he riverKei''), officially the Republic of Transkei ( xh, iRiphabliki yeTranskei), was an unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa from 1976 to 1994. It was, along with Ciskei, a Ba ...

, Dana signed a record deal with Gallo Records and released her debut studio album, ''Zandisile'' (2004), which became a commercially success, won Best Newcomer and Best Jazz Album.

Early life

Simphiwe was born on 23 January 1980 in Butterworth,

, South Africa and raised in the town of

. Dana came from a religious background with her father being a preacher and as she grew up in the church, exposing her to music in both choral and gospel forms.

Education

She attended Vela Private School in

Mthatha Mthatha , formerly Umtata, is the main city of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in Eastern Cape province of South Africa and the capital of OR Tambo District Municipality. The city has an airport, previously known as the K. D. Mata ...

, where she matriculated in 1997. Her tertiary education pursued her interests in graphic design, and she successfully studied for her National Diploma in IT at the Wits Technikon, Johannesburg.

Career

After signed a record deal with Gallo Records, her debut album ''Zandisile'' was released in 2004. The album sold very well and gained several awards, including some South African Music Award (SAMA) in 2005. On its worldwide release the album gained success in the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' charts and she won an AVO Session Basel Award. In 2005, Dana won the "Best Newcomer" award and Best Jazz Vocal album at the 11th

South African Music Awards The South African Music Awards (often simply the SAMAs) are the Recording Industry of South Africa's music industry awards, established in 1995. The ceremony is held annually, usually in late April or May, with the judging process starting in N ...

with her first album ''Zandisile''. In 2007, she was named the "Best Female Artist", with the song "The One Love Movement on Bantu Biko Street", at the 13th South African Music Awards. She is a creative advocate of Afrofuturism and Afrofeminism. On July 9, 2010, Dana's third studio album '' Kulture Noir'' was released in South Africa. At 10th Annually ceremony of Metro FM Music Awards, she took home two awards; Best Contemporary Jazz, Best Female. On November 25, 2018, she performed at Moncalieri Jazz Festival in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. Th ...

. In 2013 she started to record her album ''Firebrand'' and delayed to release it following the exit to her former label. In early 2014, she signed a record deal with

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainmen ...

. On October 21, 2015, his fourth studio album ''Firebrand'' was released. The album produced four singles "Killjoy", "Roll Me Down", "Masterpiece" and "My Light". On April 24, 2020, her fifth studio album ''Bamako'' was released.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Zandisile'' (2004) * ''The One Love Movement on Bantu Biko Street'' (2006) * ''Kulture Noir'' (2010) * '' Firebrand'' (2015) * ''Bamako'' (album) (2020) * ''TBA'' (2025)

Live albums

* ''An Evening with Simphiwe Dana: Live at the Lyric Theatre'' (2011) * ''Celebrating Ten Years Live at the Bassline'' (2016) * ''The Simphiwe Dana Symphony Experience'' (2017)

Inspiration

Dana's music draws strongly on her upbringing in the Transkei, and she cites the powerful singing of her mother as an inspiration for her and her siblings, and ultimately as a key motivator in her resolve to pursue her musical career.She has been cited as the modern day Mama Africa.

Achievements

South African Afro Pop Awards

, - , - , rowspan="3", 2021 , rowspan="3", Saafma , Best Female Artist Award , , - , Best Song of the Year , , - , Best Rising Star ,

South African Music Awards

, - , 2005 , Herself , Best Newcomer , , - , 2021 , ''Bamako'' , Best Adult Contemporary Album ,

References

External links

Official home page

Myspace website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dana, Simphiwe 1980 births Living people 21st-century South African women singers Xhosa people Singers from Johannesburg South African songwriters