Velile (born Velile Mchunu in 1973 in KwaMashu, Natal, South Africa) is a South African pop singer and musical actress. She became known in particular through the song " Helele", which was used by

RTL (French radio) RTL is a French commercial radio network owned by the RTL Group through Groupe M6. Founded in 1933 as Radio Luxembourg, it broadcast from outside of France until 1981 because only public stations had been allowed until then. It is a general-inter ...

and the Swiss television in the coverage of the Football World Cup 2010 in South Africa, and in Germany as the leading actress in the Hamburg production of the musical ''The Lion King''.

Biography

Mchunu grew up in a township near the South African city of Durban and attended drama school at the "Committed Artist Academy" in Johannesburg. In 1999 she appeared with Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson on the occasion of Nelson Mandela's birthday. In Hamburg, she played the main role of the shaman Rafiki in the musical "The Lion King" for several years. Next, she had appearances in the musical ''Sarafina'' as well as the 1992 South African film of the same name, about a young black South African struggling for freedom during the apartheid. She went on tour to undertake performances of the musicals Izidumo and Ipi Ntombi. She appeared also in 2006 tours as a soloist to various musicals. In June 2022, she returned to the stage performing at the legendary club Anja's in Barmstedt, Germany. Singing her classic track Helele and Tina Turner songs among other things she received a warm welcome from an international audience.

Discography

Albums

* Tales from Africa (2010) * Lion Queen (2011)

Singles

* Helele (Velile &

Safri Duo Safri Duo is a Danish electronic percussion duo composed of Uffe Savery (born 5 April 1966) and Morten Friis (born 21 August 1968). Initially classically oriented, they later made a track mixing both tribal sound and modern electronica. Releas ...

) (2010) * Kuyabanda (2010) * Injabulo (2011)

References

{{Authority control South African pop singers South African women pop singers English-language singers from South Africa Zulu-language singers of South Africa 21st-century South African women singers 1973 births Living people