Zahara (South African musician)

Zahara
Zahara performing in Nairobi, 2013
Background information
Birth name	Bulelwa Mkutukana
Also known as	Zahara
Born	(1987-11-09)9 November 1987 East London, South Africa
Died	11 December 2023(2023-12-11) (aged 36) Johannesburg, South Africa
Genres	Afro-soul
Occupation(s)	Musician singer
Instrument(s)	Vocals acoustic guitar
Years active	2009–2023
Labels	TS EMI Music Lives Here Warner

Bulelwa Mkutukana (9 November 1987 – 11 December 2023), 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.

After signing a record deal with TS Records, Mkutukana's debut album, Loliwe (2011), went double platinum. Her second album, Phendula (2013), produced three chart-topping singles "Phendula", "Impilo", and "Stay". Zahara's third album, Country Girl (2015), was certified triple platinum. Following her departure from TS Records, she signed a record deal with Warner Music.^[1] Her fourth album, Mgodi (2017), was her best-selling album and was certified platinum, while her fifth album, Nqaba Yam (2021), peaked at number 1 on iTunes.^[2]

Her accolades included seventeen South African Music Awards, three Metro FM Awards, and one Nigeria Entertainment Award.^[3] Zahara was on the 2020 list of the BBC's 100 Women.^[4] She appeared as a guest judge on the seventeenth season of Idols South Africa in 2021.^[5]