Lira

Lerato "Lira" Molapo entered the world in Daveyton, South Africa, on March 14, 1979. A victory in a contest aimed at emerging vocalists and composers opened the door for her to begin live performances at sixteen, where she delivered both interpretations of existing material and her own compositions. Discovery arrived in 2000 when musician and producer Arthur Mafokate signed her to his 999 Music imprint, leading to the 2003 appearance of her first full-length effort, All My Love.

After parting ways with 999 Music, Lira joined forces with keyboardist Victor Mngomezulu, bassist Tshepo Sekele, and producer Robin Kohl. Their collaboration yielded the 2006 album Feel Good, a more refined statement that highlighted her versatility across modern R&B, jazz, lush pop, and bossa. The project achieved substantial commercial impact, securing five nominations at the South African Grammy Awards for Best New Artist, Best Female Artist, Best R&B Album, Best Single, and Best Video. Its July 2007 rollout in Italy brought extensive radio exposure to the title track.

The 2008 follow-up, Soul in Mind, earned multiple South African Music Awards nominations and ultimately claimed the Album of the Year honor. In 2009 she issued the DVD Live in Concert: A Celebration, documenting a show at Carnival City Casino in Boksburg, South Africa; the release attained triple platinum certification. January 2011 saw the arrival of her third studio album, Return to Love, while later that year she put out the five-track The Lira EP.