Lira to usher in Obama term
Award-winning songbird Lira is set to wow the world – she’s received a request to perform at President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration ball on 21 January 2013. Lira, who was born Lerato Molapo in Daveyton, east of Johannesburg, is no one-hit wonder – the singer was discovered in 2000 and since then has been raking in the […]
(Image: Sizwe Ndingane )
Award-winning songbird Lira is set to wow the world – she’s received a request to perform at President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration ball on 21 January 2013.
Lira, who was born Lerato Molapo in Daveyton, east of Johannesburg, is no one-hit wonder – the singer was discovered in 2000 and since then has been raking in the awards.
For the past three years the Afro-soul diva has been working hard to break into the US market through a distributor and publicist in Los Angeles, and her first US-aimed album, Rise Again, was released there in June 2012. Rise Again contains popular songs from her previous South African releases and was preceded by a five-track EP to whet the appetites of American fans.
“It’s incredible,” she enthused in a radio interview. “I can’t absorb the reality. I’ve been getting so much support on Facebook and Twitter, and I feel like the luckiest girl I know.”
This is not the first time Lira has sung before a presidential audience – she’s performed for former president Nelson Mandela, and incumbent Jacob Zuma.
Lira’s manager, her husband Robin Kohl, said that she’ll sing at an African themed ball – one of several events planned to mark Obama’s second term of office. He was as excited as Lira, describing the gig as “massive”, and saying that the international exposure will do wonders for her career.
“This is an amazing opportunity. The ball will be televised by networks from all over the world,” said Kohl in an interview.
(Image: Women’s Health SA)
Lira confirmed that she had been approached three weeks ago by the US embassy in South Africa, and since then the two parties have been working out the logistics of the performance. Until she received the green light from Washington, however, she was unable to mention her big news but has now been given permission to spill the beans.
“I don’t have words,” she said.
Well-earned success
The classy Lira, who is signed to Sony Music Entertainment – Africa, is famous for having displaced none other than American superstar Beyoncé at the top of the local singles charts with the title track from her 2003 debut album All My Love. Her subsequent albums have all been best-sellers – Feel Good (2006), Soul in Mind (2008) and Return to Love (2011) – and have achieved platinum status.
She’s released two DVDs – The Captured Tour and Live in Concert, which is available for Blu-ray as well. It’s reported that Live in Concert, which has also been certified platinum, was Africa’s first music Blu-ray disc.
Lira is a popular choice for magazine covers including Women’s Health SA, and has been named a brand ambassador for Blackberry, Mac Cosmetics and Audi, among others. She’s known for favouring South African couture and is often seen in creations from Stoned Cherrie, Errol Arendz, Kluk CGDT and others.
She performed at the 2010 Fifa World Cup kickoff concert in June of that year, and the following month she serenaded Mandela for his 92nd birthday.
In June 2012 she was nominated for a Black Entertainment Television award in the Africa category, but lost out to Sarkodie, the Ghanaian musician dubbed the King of Rap. A few months later, in September, Lira was interviewed by National Geographic and appeared on the scientific and cultural institution’s website in its world music section.
As a young trailblazing African, an interview and clips of her performances were featured in the stereotype-busting film Africa Straight Up, produced and released in October 2012 by Africa.com
By: MediaClubSouthAfrica.com reporter
Source: www.mediaclubsouthafrica.com