Simphiwe Dana

Born in Transkei, South Africa in 1980, singer, songwriter, and activist Simphiwe Dana spent much of her youth absorbing choral and gospel music in the church ministered by her father. Those early influences became the foundation for her distinctive overlay of jazz, soul, and gospel, a blend that is often channeled through her native Xhosa language and evokes legendary figures like Mariam Makeba and Dorothy Masuka. Dana's 2004 debut album, Zandisile, not only established her as a rising star in her homeland, but also announced her entrance on the international stage. The albums Dana has sparingly released since then have maintained her strong presence on the African continent, where her work has continued to showcase a fervent feminist sensibility and a deep interest in Afrofuturism. In 2020, she dropped her fifth recording, Bamako, a creative endeavor coproduced by Salif Keita and richly infused with Malian influences.