Elaine | |
---|---|
Birth name | Ndivhuwo Elaine Mukheli |
Born | Pretoria, South Africa | 2 April 1999
Origin | Limpopo, South Africa |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
|
Instrument(s) |
|
Years active | 2019–present |
Labels | Columbia |
Ndivhuwo Elaine Mukheli (born 2 April 1999), known mononymously as Elaine, is a South African R&B singer and songwriter from Pretoria. While studying law at the University of the Witwatersrand, she self-released her debut EP Elements in September 2019. [1] The EP reached No. 1 on both the national iTunes and Apple Music album charts, making her the first independent female artist to do so. [2] [3] Elements was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry of South Africa (RiSA) a year after its initial release, and in 2020 it was nominated for Best R&B/Soul Album at the South African Music Awards. Elaine was subsequently signed to Columbia Records in December 2020. [1]
I remember the owner of the pre-school came to me and gave me a solo – this solo was ‘Silent Night’ and girl, that’s when my career took off. This was my time to shine, and I think from the moment I sang that solo, I knew that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.
—Elaine on her childhood introduction to singing [4]
Ndivhuwo Elaine Mukheli was born in Pretoria on 2 April 1999. She started singing at age six and participated in the school choir and various talent competitions while growing up. [4] In 2014 she received a gold medal at the 8th World Choir Games in Riga, Latvia. [5] [6] While attending high school, Mukheli began writing her own music. [7] She began studying law at University of the Witwatersrand in approximately 2018, [1] and stated in November 2019 that she was part of the university's Golden Key Honour Society. [7]
Elaine uploaded her debut single, "Slip Away" onto SoundCloud in February 2019, before officially self-releasing it in April 2019. Her follow-up single, "I Just Wanna Know" was released in August 2019. Elaine was the first South African artist to be part of Spotify's Radar artist program alongside Taiylor Manson . [8] [9] She released her debut EP, Elements , on 29 September 2019. [10] The 7-track EP was produced by Clxrity alongside Elizee from South African hip-hop duo Elizee and Malachi and was described by OkayAfrica as "a mellow blend of trap-soul and R&B with incisive explorations of adolescent love." [11] The EP was successful on streaming charts, helping Elaine clock one million accumulative streams within two weeks of its initial release. [12] She was deemed as Apple Music's New Artist Spotlight after Elements reached No. 1 on the album chart in South Africa. [13] At one point in February 2020, all seven songs from Elements simultaneously placed in the top 10 of the national Apple Music R&B/Soul songs chart. [14] The EP, spawned the single "You're The One", which also topped both iTunes and Apple Music single charts. [15] The single earned Elaine both her radio debut and first number one on the Metro FM Top 40, [16] as well as several weeks atop both the 947 Top 40, [3] and KFM Top 40. [17] Her debut music video for "You're The One" was released in early April 2020 and gained approximately 100 thousand views within 24 hours of its initial release. [18] [19] As of late April 2020, Elaine continues to "dominate" South African music charts. [20] Elements was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry of South Africa (RISA) in July 2020. [21] The EP was also nominated for Best R&B/Soul Album at the 26th South African Music Awards. [22] Elaine was signed to Columbia Records in August 2020. [23] [24] [25]
In November 2020, she was nominated for Best Female Southern Africa at 2020 African Muzik Magazine Awards. [26]
On 12 May 2021, she released a single "Right Now ". [27]
On 24 March 2022, she released her highly anticipated single "Shine". She first teased the song on TikTok and Instagram. In September 2022, Elaine had released her latest single, “Deja vu”.
"Loving" with Blxckie was released on March 17, 2023. The song was certified Gold by the Recording Industry of South Africa (RiSA). [28]
Elaine's musical style regarding genre has been described as trap-soul (a blend of trap and soul music), [1] [4] [11] alternative R&B, [29] [20] contemporary R&B, [29] [1] and neo-soul. [20] She has cited R&B singers such as Lauryn Hill and Beyoncé as her biggest inspirations. [30] Elaine's musical style has been compared to that of Tsakani Mhinga and H.E.R., [31] as well as Jhené Aiko and Summer Walker. [32]
Title | Details | Certifications |
---|---|---|
Elements |
|
Title | Year | Certification [21] | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"Slip Away" | 2019 | — | Non-album single |
"I Just Wanna Know" |
| Elements EP | |
"Say It" |
| ||
"When We’re Alone" |
| ||
"I/You" |
| ||
"Changes" |
| ||
"You're the One" [33] | 2020 |
| |
"Risky" |
| ||
"Right Now" [34] | 2021 | — | Non-album single |
"Fading Away" | 2022 | Non-album single | |
"DeJa Vu" | Non-album single | ||
"Shine" | Non-album single | ||
"Loving You" (Elaine, Blxckie) | 2023 | RiSA: Gold | Non-album single |
Award | Year | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
South African Music Awards | 2020 | Elements | R&B/Soul Album of the Year | Nominated | [22] |
African Muzik Magazine Awards | 2020 | Herself | Best Female Southern Africa | Nominated | [26] |
BET Awards | 2021 | Best New International Act | Nominated | [35] [36] [37] | |
MTV Africa Music Awards | 2021 | Best Breakthrough Act | Cancelled | [38] | |
African Muzik Magazine Awards | 2021 | Best Female Southern Africa | Won | [39] | |
Headies | 2022 | Best Southern African Artiste Of The Year | Nominated | [40] |
Nivea B. Hamilton, better known by her mononym Nivea, is an American R&B singer whose recordings reached the Billboard charts during the early 2000s. Nivea is known most for her Grammy-nominated hit "Don't Mess with My Man" as well as "Laundromat" and "Okay" featuring YoungbloodZ & Lil' Jon. She has released three studio albums: Nivea (2001), Complicated (2005), Animalistic (2006), and an independently released extended play Nivea: Undercover (2011). In 2019, she released her album Mirrors, including the single "Circles".
Deborah Cox is a Canadian singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Born and raised in Toronto, she began performing on television commercials at age 12, and entered various talent shows in her teenage years before becoming a professional backing vocalist for Celine Dion. In 1994, Cox relocated to the United States and was signed to Arista Records by Clive Davis, releasing her self-titled debut album the following year. Her second studio album, One Wish (1998), was certified platinum in the United States. It was marked by the commercial success of the pop crossover single "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here", which would become her most successful entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number two and remaining there for eight consecutive weeks. Cox signed with J Records for her third studio album The Morning After (2002), which saw moderate commercial success.
Ke'Tara Shavon "Keke" Wyatt is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. After performing in a number of girl bands and working as a songwriter during her teenage years, in 2000 she garnered national attention after her successful collaboration with fellow R&B singer Avant, In 2001 her rendition of "Nothing in This World" led to a nomination for the Best New R&B/Soul/Rap Artist award at the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. After a number of charting collaborations and solo releases, in 2012 she starred as a cast member in TV One's R&B Divas: Atlanta, which featured the lives of five 1990s chart-topping R&B singers. She was featured in all 3 seasons of the show. She also performed with the group at events such as Essence Music Festival.
Rissi Palmer is an American country music artist. Palmer debuted in 2007 with the single "Country Girl", which made her the first African-American woman to chart a country song since Dona Mason in 1987. "Country Girl" peaked at No. 54 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, and served as the lead-off single to her self-titled debut album, which also produced the Top 100 hit "Hold On to Me". Also in 2008, Palmer covered "No Air", an R&B hit originally performed by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown. She is also the host of Apple Music Country's show Color Me Country Radio with Rissi Palmer.
Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo is an American R&B singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, California. Aiko embarked on her musical career in 2002, as a backing vocalist and music video performer for the R&B group B2K. She was signed by their record label, The Ultimate Group that same year and was marketed as the "cousin" of B2K member Lil' Fizz to cultivate her own following, although they are not related. Her debut album, slated for a 2003 release through the label with Epic Records, was shelved due to Aiko instead further pursuing her education.
Nneka Lucia Egbuna is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and actress. She sings in English, Igbo and Nigerian Pidgin.
Victoria Monét McCants is an American singer-songwriter. First gaining recognition for her songwriting work, Monét pursued a recording career with the release of a series of extended plays (EPs) before releasing her fifth EP, Jaguar (2020) to critical acclaim. Her debut studio album, Jaguar II (2023) was her commercial breakthrough and supported by the hit single, "On My Mama". The song peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and received a Grammy Award nomination for Record of the Year. At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, she received seven nominations and three wins for Best New Artist, Best R&B Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.
Simphiwe Majobe Nhlangulela, better known by her stage name Simmy, is a South African singer-songwriter.
Neo Jessica Joshua, better known as Nao, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer from East London. Her sound has been described as soul combined with electronic music, funk and R&B. Nao coined the term "wonky funk" to describe her style. She released her debut album, For All We Know, in 2016, her second album, Saturn, in 2018, followed by her most recent album, And Then Life Was Beautiful, released in 2021.
Mahalia Burkmar, known mononymously as Mahalia, is a British singer, songwriter and actress. Mahalia has released several EPs and three albums, Diary of Me (2016), Love and Compromise (2019) and IRL (2023). She also acted in the film Brotherhood (2016). She had her breakthrough in 2017 with her performance of "Sober" for the YouTube channel Colors. In 2018, she was ranked number one on YouTube's Ones to Watch list.
Amanda Benedicta Antony, known professionally as Amanda Black, is a South African singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Gcuwa her career began in 1999 at the age of 6 singing in church choirs. Amanda was a contestant on Idols South Africa season 11. Black relocated to Johannesburg in 2016 to pursue her career in music. She signed a record deal with Ambitiouz Entertainment in 2016 and achieved recognition in same year following the release of her hit single "Amazulu", which was nominated for several music awards.
Sampa Tembo, known professionally as Sampa the Great, is a Zambian singer, rapper and songwriter. Between 2014 and 2020, she was based in Australia. Her debut solo album, The Return, peaked at No. 12 on the ARIA Albums Chart. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2019 she won Best Hip Hop Release for her second single, "Final Form". In the following year she won the same category for The Return, as well as Best Female Artist and Best Independent Release. In March 2020 Sampa became the first artist to win the Australian Music Prize twice: for Birds and the Bee9 and The Return. The artist was based back in Zambia from late 2020, where she issued her second studio album, As Above, So Below.
Sanelisiwe Twisha, known professionally as Moonchild Sanelly is a South African musician and dancer. She is known for her signature blue-coloured hair and her self-created music genre called "Future ghetto funk". Originally from Port Elizabeth, the singer first came into limelight in the Durban poetry and music scene before relocating to Johannesburg, where she has continued her musical career.
Summer Marjani Walker is an American R&B singer. She signed with the Atlanta-based record label Love Renaissance, an imprint of Interscope Records in late 2017. The following year, she released her debut commercial mixtape Last Day of Summer (2018), supported by its lead single, "Girls Need Love." The song became her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 and spawned a remix featuring Canadian rapper Drake. Her debut studio album, Over It (2019) was met with critical and commercial success, peaking at number two on the Billboard 200 chart—briefly breaking the record for the biggest debut streaming week for a female R&B artist—and receiving double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Ama Serwah Genfi, known professionally as Amaarae, is a Ghanaian-American singer-songwriter. She is known for her fusion of Pop, R&B, Afrobeats, Alté music as well as her fluid representation of gender and sexuality. After collaborating with local artists and putting out a few non-album singles, she released her debut EP, Passionfruit Summers, in 2017.
Joseph Akinwale, known professionally as Joeboy, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter, currently signed to Warner Music Africa in partnership with his record label Young Legend. He was formerly signed by Mr Eazi under emPawa Africa, where he was discovered in 2017, through the emPawa Africa talent incubation program. His musical genres are Afro-pop and R&B.
Temilade Openiyi, known professionally as Tems, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record producer. She rose to prominence after being featured on Wizkid's 2020 single "Essence", which peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart following the release of the remix version with Justin Bieber. The song earned her a Grammy Award nomination. That same year, she was featured on the song "Fountains" by Drake.
Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, known professionally as Ayra Starr, is a Beninese-born Nigerian singer. She began a fashion career at the age of 16 with Quove Model Management before deciding to pursue a career in music. After covering several songs by popular artists on Instagram, she posted her first original song on her page in December 2019. This brought her to the attention of record executive Don Jazzy, who signed her to his record label Mavin Records.
"Away" is a song recorded by Nigerian singer-songwriter Ayra Starr for her eponymous debut EP. It is the first song on the EP, released in January 2021 by Mavin Records. It was written by Ayra Starr and her brother Dami and was produced by Louddaaa.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)