Judith Sephuma | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | Seshego, Limpopo, South Africa | 29 June 1974
Genres | Jazz, gospel |
Occupation | Singer |
Labels | Lalomba Music |
Website | www |
Judith Sephuma (born 29 June 1974) [1] is a South African jazz and Afro-pop singer.
Born in Seshego, [2] she was raised in Polokwane, Limpopo, and moved to Cape Town in 1994 to study as a jazz vocalist. [3] In 1997, she graduated from the University of Cape Town with a Performer's Diploma in Jazz and went on to further study. In 1999, she won the "Best Jazz Vocalist" at the Old Mutual Jazz Into The Future competition and signed with the African division of BMG.
Her debut album A Cry, A Smile, A Dance (2001) was critically acclaimed and she followed it up with New Beginnings in 2005. Her other albums include Change is Here (2008), I Am A Living Testimony (2011), A Legacy Live in Concert (2012; CD and DVD), and her 2013 debut gospel album titled The Experience LIVE in Concert with some songs produced by Wilson Joel (CD and DVD). In 2015 she released her album One Word, which she describes as Afro-Funk Jazz. Her following album, My Worship - Live, was released in 2017.
In 2019, after a two year discovery period, she released her most recent album, titled 'Power of Dreams', which she has described as "Following a two year journey of self- rediscovery, after the release of her eight album in 2017, The Queen of Afro Jazz, Judith Sephuma, has come back to provoke thoughts and emotions through music with her latest Afro Jazz album titled Power of Dreams." [4] some of the songs included are the album are "power of dreams", "neither of us", and "Ntshwarele".
She is recorded and marketed through her independent record label, Lalomba Music.
Norah Jones is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and, as of 2023, had sold more than 50 million records worldwide. Billboard named her the top jazz artist of the 2000s decade. She has won nine Grammy Awards and was ranked 60th on Billboard magazine's artists of the 2000s decade chart.
Sisaundra Lewis is an American singer, songwriter and producer from Haines City, Florida. She was a contestant on season 6 of the US series The Voice as a member of Blake Shelton's team. Sisaundra is currently the Producer and Host of 2 television shows on AFRO TV, an Afrotainment cable television network: The Sisaundra Show and AFROJAms a Live music performance television show.
Freshlyground was a band formed in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2008. Freshlyground is best known for writing, perform and playing the instrumentals of the afrofusion and soca single "Waka Waka " alongside Colombian singer Shakira, which received worldwide recognition. The music video featuring the group has achieved over 3.9 billion views on YouTube, which has resulted in it becoming one of the most-viewed videos on the platform.
Zolani Mahola is a South African singer, actress, storyteller and world-renowned inspiration speaker, now also known under the stage name The One Who Sings. 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.
Marcus Wyatt, is a South African trumpeter, composer and producer.
Nádine Hoffeldt is a South African Afrikaans pop singer, best known for the hit song "Kaapse Draai". She has also recorded a number of songs in English.
Beatrice "Sathima Bea" Benjamin was a South African vocalist and composer based in New York City for nearly 45 years.
Thandiswa Nyameka Mazwai is a South African musician, and is also the lead vocalist and songwriter of Bongo Maffin. She is also known as King Tha.
Batsogile Lovederia "Rebecca" Malope is a South African gospel singer. She is known as "The Queen of Gospel." Her music career spans more than three decades. She has sold at least 10 million albums worldwide, making her one of the best-selling gospel artists of all time. Most of the 36 albums she has released have reached multi-platinum status.
Saskia Laroo, is a Dutch jazz musician who has been dubbed the "Lady Miles Davis". Her music style can be described as a combination of jazz, pop, electronic dance music, Latin and world music.
Lerato Moipone Molapo, known professionally as Lira, is a South African singer. Her name translates to "love" in Sesotho and she speaks four languages. She is a multi-platinum selling and an 11-time South African Music Award (SAMA)-winning Afro-soul vocalist, who refers to her music as "a fusion of soul, funk, elements of jazz and African."
Bulelwa Mkutukana, known by her stage name Zahara, was a South African singer, songwriter and guitarist. Her music was classified loosely as "Afro-soul", and she sang in Xhosa, her native language, as well as in English.
Carmen Souza is a Portuguese jazz singer and songwriter of Cape Verdean heritage. She combines traditional forms of Cape Verde with contemporary and traditional jazz.
Zonke Dikana, known simply as Zonke, is a South African singer-songwriter and record producer. Her rise to stardom came in 2011 following the release of her third album, Ina Ethe, which was certified double platinum and was nominated at the 18th South African Music Awards. In 2013, she recorded and released Give and Take Live, which was certified gold just two months after its release and earned her a place in the Channel O list of "Africa's Top 10 Female Singing Sensations". In September 2015, Zonke released Work of Heart, her fifth album, to critical acclaim with nominations in several categories at the 15th Metro FM Music Awards and 22nd South African Music Awards. She signed a record deal to Sony Music Entertainment in 2013. On 15 June 2018, she released L.O.V.E, her fifth studio album, with Sony.
Paxton Fielies, better known mononymously as Paxton, is a South African singer, songwriter and philanthropist. She rose to fame in 2017, after winning the 13th season of Idols South Africa. She is the youngest South African female to win the title.
Pedrito Martinez is a Cuban percussionist, drummer, singer, dancer, bandleader, songwriter, composer, and educator. He was born and raised in Havana, Cuba. He is a Cuban Conguero performing classic Cuban Rumbas, Afro-Cuban folkloric and religious music. He is a Santería priest. He came to the United States of America from Havana in 1998. He plays the Batá drum, conga, cajón, timbale, and bongo drums, among other percussion instruments. Pedrito learned his craft from the streets of Havana, Cuba. He has performed with Paquito D'Rivera, Arturo O'Farrill, Brian Lynch, and Bruce Springsteen. He settled in the New York City - New Jersey area in 1998.
Melanie Scholtz is a South African born jazz singer, composer, dancer and visual artist who has performed with Wynton Marsalis, The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and Hugh Masakela.
Tasha Baxter is a South African singer-songwriter. Baxter has 5 South African Music Awards nominations and won "Best Pop Album" and "Newcomer of the Year" for her album "Colour of Me".
Eike Moriz, better known as Ike Moriz, is a German-South African singer, songwriter, musician, record producer and actor. He has released 20 albums in the indie rock, pop, Latin, easy listening, dance, lounge, blues, jazz and swing genres.
Gugulethu Khumalo, best known by her stage name Berita, is a Zimbabwean-born singer, songwriter and music producer. Her music is a combination of soul music containing elements from Afro Jazz, contemporary pop influences as well as South African dance music. She is the owner of the independent record label Assali Music. She is also the founder of the Women of Music Business (WOMB), a pan African women empowerment organisation in the music industry.