Zaki Ibrahim is a

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

singer-songwriter. Her music blends R&B,

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

.Zaki Ibrahim: No borders

CBC Music CBC Music (formerly known as CBC FM, CBC Stereo and CBC Radio 2) is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It used to concentrate on classical and jazz. In 2007 and 2008, the network transitioned towards a ...

, March 12, 2012.

Career

Born in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

to a father originally from

and a mother from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

,"One to Watch: Zaki Ibrahim"
. ''

The Grid The Grid are an English electronic dance group, consisting of David Ball (formerly of Soft Cell) and Richard Norris, with guest contributions from other musicians. They are best known for the hits "Swamp Thing", "Texas Cowboys", "Crystal C ...

'', June 28, 2012. Ibrahim spent her childhood as what she describes as a "citizen of the world", living at different times in Canada, South Africa, the United Kingdom and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Her father, Zane Ibrahim, was a pioneering radio broadcaster in South Africa,"In Due Time"
''The Toronto Standard'', June 29, 2012. who was one of the founders of the influential

community radio Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial broadcasting, commercial and public broadcasting. Community broadcasting, Community stations serve geographic communities and communities o ...

station Bush Radio. She moved to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

in the mid-2000s, and soon became a popular draw on the city's live music scene. She released her debut EP, ''Shö (Iqra in Orange)'', in 2006. Following one show at the

El Mocambo El Mocambo is a live music and entertainment venue in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located on Spadina Avenue, just south of College Street, the venue has played an important role in the development of popular music in Toronto since 1948. It is bes ...

in 2007, her production team and supporting musicians immediately formed an

assembly line An assembly line, often called ''progressive assembly'', is a manufacturing process where the unfinished product moves in a direct line from workstation to workstation, with parts added in sequence until the final product is completed. By mechan ...

to produce and burn a

compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. It employs the Compact Disc Digital Audio (CD-DA) standard and was capable of hol ...

recording of the just-completed show for immediate sale; the lineup to purchase copies extended well outside the club's front door. She released a second EP, ''Eclectica (Episodes in Purple)'', in 2008. Her live shows to support the EP included an appearance with

Bedouin Soundclash Bedouin Soundclash is a Canadian band based in Toronto and consisting of vocalist and guitarist Jay Malinowski, bass player Eon Sinclair, and various session musicians. Their sound has been described as a combination of reggae and ska. Bedouin ...

at the

2008 MuchMusic Video Awards The ''2008 MuchMusic Video Awards'' were held in Toronto, Ontario at MuchMusic's headquarters on June 15, 2008 with the rain-soaked Red carpet arrivals that started at 8:00pm ET, but was slightly delayed by rainstorms that soaked the crowds and ...

, and a show opening for

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu, is an American singer and songwriter. Influenced by rhythm and blues, R&B, Soul music, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut al ...

Massey Hall Massey Hall is a performing arts auditorium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1894, it is known for its outstanding acoustics and was the long-time hall of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Although original ...

. She garnered a

Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...

nomination for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year at the

Juno Awards of 2009 The Juno Awards of 2009 honoured music industry achievements in Canada in the latter part of 2007 and in most of 2008. These ceremonies were held in Vancouver, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada during the weekend ending 29 March 2009. Loverboy ...

for her single "Money". Her song "Ansomnia" was included in the 2010 film soundtrack '' For Colored Girls: Music From and Inspired by the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack''. Her first full-length album, ''Every Opposite'', was released in 2012. The album was named as a longlisted nominee for the

2013 Polaris Music Prize The 2013 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 23, 2013

on June 13, 2013,"Polaris Music Prize Unveils 2013 Long List"
''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

'', June 13, 2013. and subsequently named to the short list on July 16, 2013."Polaris Music Prize Announces 2013 Short List"
''

'', July 16, 2013. She is currently based in Toronto Ontario.

Albums

*''Shö (Iqra in Orange)'' - 2006 *''Eclectica (Episodes in Purple)'' - 2008 *''Every Opposite'' - 2012 *''The Secret Life of Planets'' - 2018

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ibrahim, Zaki Canadian rhythm and blues singers Canadian soul singers Canadian women jazz singers Canadian jazz singers Canadian people of British descent Canadian people of South African descent Singers from British Columbia Living people South African rhythm and blues musicians South African jazz singers South African women jazz singers 21st-century South African women singers Musicians from Cape Town Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Canadian women singers English-language singers from South Africa