Zolani Mahola-The One Who Sings

ABOUT

The One Who Sings 

aka Zolani Mahola 

Former lead singer of the critically acclaimed pan-African supergroup Freshlyground, Zolani Mahola is The One Who Sings - a South African Storyteller, award-winning actress, singer and inspirational international icon. 

The band was together for 17 years and produced 6 albums and most famously collaborated with Shakira on the song “Waka Waka” in 2010. 

In 2019 she officially announced the launch of her solo career as a musician, storyteller and public speaker. 

In her own words: “Our world is changing. The old stories have worn thin. We are telling new stories now. We are creating new realities: ones which inspire and give us true power.”

In her work with Freshlyground, Mahola has shared and opened stages for greats such as Stevie Wonder, Hugh Masekela, Shakira, Johnny Clegg, BB King and many others. 

Zolani Mahola is passionate about children and youth as well as the natural world and our undeniable connection to it. As such she is an ambassador for the Seachange Project which released the groundbreaking documentary “My Octopus Teacher”. She sits on the board of Zip Zap Circus School which empowers children of all walks of life with essential life skills. She is an the ambassador for the Morris Isaacson Centre for Music in the Johannesburg township of Soweto where music education is used as a tool to foster self belief whilst creating world-class classically trained musicians in the process. She has also recently taken on ambassadorship for the Earthchild Project - an NPO which uses yoga, mindfulness and connection to nature to nurture children from under-resourced communities. 

The beginning of 2020 saw her collaborate with Grammy Award-winning cellist Yo-Yo Ma and October 2020 saw her share a bill with legendary musician Dave Matthews. She also released the anthemic and patriotic song “Because We Are” with long-time collaborator Aron Ha’Levi. The song saw the feature of over 30 artists across the South African music scene, including legends and popular artists such as Yvonne Chaka Chaka, J Something, Karen Zoid, Amanda Black, Vusi Mahlasela, Arno Carstens, Francois Van Coke to name only a few. 

Mahola won the prestigious Fleur Du Cap award as “Best Actress” for her 2019 self-written critically acclaimed one woman play based on her life entitled “The One Who Sings. November 2020 saw her stage the multimedia work “You Need To Say It” at the Baxter theatre in Cape Town. The show included elements from Mahola’s debut solo album entitled “Thetha Mama” (http://Platoon.lnk.to/thetha-mama) which was released in November of 2021. 

The album has been nominated for two South African Music awards for production and in the Best Adult Contemporary Album category. The work includes themes centering around the sanctity of the time of childhood, our connection to Nature and the power of Story in our lives. All of these themes belong to the world of the artist now known as The One Who Sings.

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