Biography
Born on March 14, 1979, in Daveyton, South Africa, Lerato "Lira" Molapo first gained notice after claiming victory in a contest aimed at emerging singers and songwriters. From age 16 onward she took the stage regularly, mixing interpretations of existing material with original compositions. In 2000 musician and producer Arthur Mafokate signed her to his imprint 999 Music, resulting in the 2003 release of her debut album All My Love.
Once she parted ways with that label, Lira joined forces with keyboardist Victor Mngomezulu, bassist Tshepo Sekele, and producer Robin Kohl to craft the 2006 album Feel Good. The project demonstrated her ease across modern R&B, jazz, lush pop, and bossa textures. Its strong reception produced five South African Grammy Award nominations in the categories of Best New Artist, Best Female Artist, Best R&B Album, Best Single, and Best Video. The record reached Italy in July 2007, where its title track secured extensive radio rotation.
Her 2008 sophomore effort Soul in Mind earned multiple South African Music Awards nominations and ultimately received the Album of the Year honor. In 2009 she issued the DVD Live in Concert: A Celebration, documenting a performance 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, followed later that year by the five-track The Lira EP.
Once she parted ways with that label, Lira joined forces with keyboardist Victor Mngomezulu, bassist Tshepo Sekele, and producer Robin Kohl to craft the 2006 album Feel Good. The project demonstrated her ease across modern R&B, jazz, lush pop, and bossa textures. Its strong reception produced five South African Grammy Award nominations in the categories of Best New Artist, Best Female Artist, Best R&B Album, Best Single, and Best Video. The record reached Italy in July 2007, where its title track secured extensive radio rotation.
Her 2008 sophomore effort Soul in Mind earned multiple South African Music Awards nominations and ultimately received the Album of the Year honor. In 2009 she issued the DVD Live in Concert: A Celebration, documenting a performance 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, followed later that year by the five-track The Lira EP.
Singles
