SIMPHIWE DANA
Genres: African Fusion, RnB • South Africa

Simphiwe Dana is a Xhosa Singer and song-writer in South Africa. Due to her unique combination of Jazz, Afro-soul, RAP and Traditional music, she has been hailed as the "new Miriam Makeba". Simphiwe was born in 1980 in Gcuwa, Transkei, in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Her father was a preacher and as she grew up she heard church music in both choral and gospel forms. She schooled at the Vela Private School in Mthatha, where she matriculated in 1997. Her tertiary education pursued her interests in graphic design, and she successfully studied for her National Diploma in IT at the Wits Technikon, Johannesburg. From 2002, she sang in small clubs in Johannesburg where she began attracting attention. She made a major impact in South Africa with the release in 2004 of Zandisile. The album sold very well and gained several awards, including some South African Music Award (SAMA) in 2005. On its worldwide release the read more...