Friday, March 25, 2011

Swazi Dlamini In The Music Industry - Wow!!!

Swazi Dlamini and her Kora and SAMA Awards


A young female artist and former Joyous member, who is also a business woman in the music industry with Swazitainment Productions and Shammah Records as 2 of her co-owned companies with husband and fellow musician, Tshepo Mngoma.
 Her debut album , “My First Love” released 2003 with Sony Music, won her much acclaim as one of the most celebrated young artists in South Africa and internationally alike. This album saw her being awarded, SAMA 2004 Best Female artist, and KORA 2004 most promising African Female artist for that year. The album displayed Swazi Dlamini’s versatility as a singer and her ability to experiment with new sounds and languages. Produced by award winning international icon Jimmy Dludlu it is no wonder that this first offering from this great singer, did so well. This album was dedicated to her other first love either than music her son Thandolwami, born in the same year.
 2006 saw her releasing a power packed sophomore album simply entitled “Dance with Me”, the album though confused to be an RnB offering because of the title track with has a strong RnB “stepping” feel, is actually yet another showcase Swazi Dlamini’s use f her voice in jazz, gospel, blues and African styles of music. She features another vocal Powerhouse who is well known in the jazz fraternity, who she worked with in her days of being a backing singer, Gloria Bosman. One can feel the energy they share in “Sing a happy song” to be electrifying and just amazing. The song that makes this album popular and much loved by all South Africans is her rendition of the African Renaissance speech by then president Thabo Mbeki “I am an African”, this song speaks about the pride she has in being an African woman and gets everyone feeling very proud to be an African.

 Swazi was born in Durban kwamashu and after 11 years of living in Johannesburg making a name for herself as an esteemed professional artist she and husband Tshepo Mngoma have relocated to Durban with their 2 kids. This is where she has begun work in developing up and coming talent of her home town, through her company Swazitainment productions, she hosts monthly concerts at the Zulu Jazz lounge in partnership with Ethekwini municipality and ilanga where she brings an artist of her caliber and couples them with aspiring talent from kzn using a band of Students from the university. This programme has not only created platform for local talent but has revived the city of Durban, as live shows were almost unheard of when she started this May 2008.
 The other remarkable work that she is doing is the establishment of the Durban based record label “Shammah Records” which is also co-owned with husband Tshepo Mngoma which last year recorded their first project  live Songs and Psalms in kwa mashu as part of the 50 years of celebrating kwa mashu. Songs and Psalms is a group of fresh talent from different townships in Durban. Their album was released April 2009 under Shammah Records, Distributed by Big Fish Music. The other artists to be released from this Durban based Label are contemporary jazz violinist “Tshepo Mngoma”, a new artist who does Gospel-Rap Music “Sir J Africa” and Swazi Dlamini herself.
 This mother of 2 toddlers, wife, musician and business woman is only set to soar with her great determination and drive. The sky truly is no limit for her.

Discography-               2003 My First Love
2006 Dance with Me

Awards and Accolades-         2004 SAMA Best Female Artist
2004 KORA Most Promising African Female Artist
2006 Metro FM Nominee Best Contemporary Jazz Album
2006 SAMA Nominee Best Contemporary Jazz Album





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