Zolani Mahola (born 19 July 1981) is a South African singer, actress, storyteller and world-renowned inspiration speaker, now also known under the stage name The One Who Sings.[2] She is most famously known as lead singer of the internationally-acclaimed pan-African South African music group Freshlyground since 2002. On 15 August 2019, Mahola officially announced the launch of her solo career while the Freshlyground band went on to have their last performance after 17 successful years together on 31 December 2019 at Kirstenbosch Gardens in Cape Town.[3]
Biography
Mahola was born and raised in the city of Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa. She attended Trinity High School (which later amalgamated into St Dominic's Priory School).
In her final year at high school, she worked as receptionist at Makro during weekends and school holidays. She grew up on Ntshekisa Street, a long and busy street in New Brighton, a township on the outskirts of Port Elizabeth. She stayed with her dad and younger sister between 1999 and 2001.[4] In 2011, Zolani and Freshlyground gave a free concert on Ntshekisa Street as part of their 10th birthday tour.[5]
While studying a Theatre and Performance degree at the University of Cape Town,[6] she was cast in the lead role in the television drama Tsha-Tsha, which aired on SABC 1.[7] Mahola voiced the character of Zoë in the animated feature film Zambezia (2012), and also recorded the song "Get Up" for the original motion picture soundtrack.[8]
Music career
Freshlyground (2002–2019)
Mahola and six other musicians formed Freshlyground in Cape Town in 2002.[9]
After Freshlyground published their second album, Nomvula, in 2004, The Sunday Times described Mahola as one of South Africa's best and most inspiring young singers.[10]
At the Glamour Women of the Year Awards 2011, held on 25 July in Johannesburg, Mahola was among eight women honoured by the South African division of Glamour. Glamour declared both her and her bandmate Kyla-Rose Smith "The Icons" of South African women in 2011.[13] Mahola opened up in 2018 about starting a Solo project that would be independent of Labels and major sponsors[14]
Solo career (2019–present)
On 15 August 2019, Mahola officially announced the launch of her solo career as a musician, storyteller and transformational speaker. [15]
In November 2019, Mahola wrote and starred in a one woman play based on her life entitled "The One Who Sings" at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town. In 2020 she garnered a coveted Fleur Du Cap award as Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in the play.
In January 2020, Mahola performed at Kirstenbosch Gardens with multiple Grammy Award-winning cellist Yo Yo Ma. The two collaborated with various Capetonian musicians including legendary Xhosa musician and South African "national treasure" Madosini on a song performed at the United Nations in mid 2020 called "Amphibious Soul" in collaboration with the Sea Change Project (creators of My Octopus Teacher) of which Mahola is an ambassador.
Mahola released her first fully fledged solo single on the 27th of November 2020 entitled "Remember Who You Are" ahead of her planned 2021 release of her first solo album. She released the song as part of her ambassadorship of the Give Her A Crown campaign, a female empowerment platform using storytelling to affect the Gender Based Violence pandemic in South Africa.
In October 2021, her single "Wawundithembisile" featuring Sun-El Musician was released. Her upcoming debut studio album Theta Mama which is scheduled to be released later in 2021.[16]
