Songstress LIRA, whose music career spans 13 years and includes 6 Studio albums, 3 live DVD’s, an autobiography and a movie; has established herself as the foremost female artist in South Africa and a formidable presence on the global music scene.
Born in Ekurhuleni, East of Johannesburg, LIRA who grew up listening to Stevie Wonder, Miriam Makeba, Aretha Franklin and Nina Simone, began writing songs and performing at age 16 before she was discovered in 2000 and signed to 999 where she released her debut album All My Love in 2003. The title track off the Album would go on to surpass Beyonce’s “Dangerously in love” on its run to the top of the South African Charts, marking the beginning of her meteoric rise. LIRA then signed to Sony Music in 2006 and released three albums, Feel Good , Soul in Mind and Return to Love, all 3 of which certified platinum and subsequently won her numerous accolades and multiple South African Music Awards (SAMAs) – 11 to date.
In 2010 LIRA joined international artists in performing at the FIFA World Cup Kick-Off Concert. That same year saw the release of LIRA’s first live DVD, Live In Concert: A Celebration was released. The DVD was certified 4x platinum and replaced Celine Dion’s “Live in Las Vagas” as number 1 on the DVD sales charts. LIRA went on to make her cinematic debut that year as the support lead in the Italian / South African co-produced feature film, The Italian Consul.
2011 saw Lira spreading her wings and has since regularly toured foreign markets such as Europe and the USA . LIRA was subsequently named one of the Five unique Artists to Change Music in 2012 by Essence Magazine.