Lira – South Africa’s soul provider
Born Lerato Molapo in Daveyton, Ekurhuleni, Lira was 16 when she wrote her first song and started performing live. She entered talent competitions that won her best vocalist and best performance prizes. She was later discovered by Arthur Mafokate from recording company 999 and signed a recording deal with the company in 2009 after quitting her job as an accountant.
All My Love, her debut album, was released in 2003 and achieved great success – the title track became one of the most played singles on South African radio. She received a South African Music Award (Sama) nomination for best R&B album the following year.
Lira left 999 in 2006 and teamed up with keyboardist Victor Mngomezulu, bassist Tshepo Sekele and producer Robin Kohl and released her second album, Feel Good, transforming herself into the more afro-jazz-focused Lira we know and love today. The album was released in Italy and Thailand and enabled her sound to cross international borders.
Over the past two years, she has released two multi-platinum-selling albums and a live DVD. She is hailed as one of South Africa’s great performers and has set the stage alight at the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Festival, the Macufe Festival and the 2007 Cape Town International Jazz Festival, of which she says: “It was after this festival that I realised just how my music affects people from all different backgrounds because I suddenly started getting fan mail from people all over the world. It’s very gratifying.”
Her fourth studio album, Return to Love, is testament to the singer’s growth and maturity over the years. It exudes Lira’s playfulness, honesty, soulfulness and joy.
She has graced the covers of local and international magazines, such as American title Black Hair, True Love, South Africa's Fair Lady, Real and Move. To date the singer has collected nine Samas, one MetroFM award, a Golden Circle award for biggest fundraiser for a charity, and two Feather awards – certainly she something can boast about. Yet Lira remains humble.
