From a small-town girl to a national star, Lady Zamar's story is quite the fairytale. Lady Zamar is one of the biggest female artists in South Africa who is known for her house sound. The singer and songwriter has won several awards and sold scores of albums. Let's not forget the millions of followers she has on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Lady Zamar's loyal fanbase has kept her relevant and shows the amount of influence she has in SA.
Born in Gauteng's Tembisa township on 19 June 1987, Lady Zamar moved to Mamelodi in Pretoria, where she spent most of her childhood.
According to the musician, her upbringing was confusing at times because she had to embrace two cultures from her parents. Lady Zamar speaks English, Malawi and Zulu.
The star attributes her love for music to her upbringing, where everyone in her family loved music:
Lady Zamar's singing | Source: Instagram
"My dad absolutely loved singing and being our vocal coach and tutor. My mum loved family worship, and whenever she had those, she would have us singing hymn notes,
"My dad was very particular about how you would sing. He would always put us in musicals, and always insisted that we watch musical shows. I remember watching the Phantom of the Opera, it was a three-hour show, and I was moved beyond," she told ZAlebs in an interview.
Lady Zamar grew up not sounding like the average girl from Tembisa and has been accused of trying to be American. The singer defended herself.
She described her heritage as a "curry pot" meaning that the mix of more than one culture has influenced her greatly.
Lady Zamar was born Yamikani Janet Banda. She chose the stage name Lady Zamar because of its Hebrew meaning. "Zamar" means to "Praise God through song and worship". It isn't too far off from her birth name, Yamikani, which means "praise" in Chewa.
Lady Zamar on stage | Source: Instagram
Lady Zamar gained fame when she was in a duo with Junior Taurus. Their success came with the hit Cotton Candy album which featured popular tracks such as ‘Mamelodi’. However, she soon announced that she was ready to fly solo.
It wasn’t until Lady Zamar released a solo debut album titled King Zamar that she became a household name. Although she admitted that going solo was nerve-wracking, the decision was right.
King Zamar won several awards, including a South African Music Award (SAMA) for ‘Best Dance Album’ and reached double-platinum status in 2019.
Lady Zamar on stage | Source: Instagram
Lady Zamar released her second studio album, Monarch, in June 2019. The 20-track album was a mix of kwaito, rap, pop, and house music. Her songs are meaningful and catchy. Here she talks about the Lady Zamar song, Sharpshooter:
"Sharpshooter' is one of my favourite songs. This is another reference to Greek mythology. Imagine Cupid was not cute and innocent. What if he was an actual sniper, going around demolishing people with their arrows of love. The person in the song is saying “Yeah I get that I’m supposed to be in love with this person because Cupid said so but Cupid is a mercenary and I ain’t about that life,” she said.
Lady Zamar has produced several hit songs since she made it on the music scene. Some of her hits include: This Is Love, My baby, Sunshine, Adore and Collide. While she’s churning out hits one after the other, the star is convinced her best is yet to come.
Lady Zamar singing | Source: Instagram
"I doubted that I could make another album that would match or even surpass King Zamar. I thought, 'Maybe it is beginners’ luck'. I didn't know how to go back to making another King Zamar, but I also could not figure out how to make a Monarch...
"It was a really challenging project because I didn't know I could supersede myself. I'm being compared to every single woman in the industry that comes up. Every time there's a new woman who's doing that music, you've got to compare me to her. It's exhausting sometimes," she said.
Lady Zamar’s father is Zambian and her mother is a South African. In fact, her parents spoke to each other mainly in English when they first started dating because they didn't know each other's language.
Sjava and Lady Zamar | Source: Briefly.co.za
Lady Zamar likes to keep her relationships secretive. The Cotton Candy singer dated fellow musician Sjava for two years. She admitted that they were dating on the same day she also confirmed their break-up. Contrary to what fans speculate, Lady Zamar doesn’t have a husband or fiancé.
Faustino Muhongo | Source: Instagram
She might not have a husband but someone might be charming his way into Lady Zamar’s heart. After she broke up with her fellow musician, Sjava, fans were dying to find out who the new man in her much-guarded love life was. She finally revealed the lucky fella. It was the Angolan Faustino Muhongo.
Neither Lady Zamar nor Faustino confirmed the alleged relationship.
Lady Zamar and Sjava | Source: TopNaija.ng
Yes. Lady Zamar finally put the rumours to rest with a tweet. She posted:
"We dated from June 2017 and ended things in March 2019... That's all so y'all can stop with the questions…Yes, he denied it to the media, but that's coz we wanted it to be a private thing... Cats out the bag, I guess. Such a pity it had to come out this way."
After their break-up, Lady Zamar revealed some rather shocking details about her relationship with Sjava. She accused him of verbal and sexual abuse. Plus, she only found out that Sjava was married when she was invited to his concert. Of course, Lady Zamar found it disrespectful. Who wouldn’t?
Lady Zamar | Source: ESA
Lady Zamar dropped another bomb on Netizens and fans alike. In an interview with Sunday World, it was revealed that Lady Zamar had opened a rape case against her ex-boyfriend Sjava whom she accused of rape.
The whole thing left fans shocked and while some believed her, others didn't. Sjava broke his silence and gave his side of the story. He denied the accusations and asked people not to prosecute him in the court of public opinion.
The saga between the two took another turn when Lady Zamar announced that she would go Live on Instagram to tell her side of the story.
She detailed her experience with Sjava, albeit emotional, and she tried her best to paint a picture of what happened.
The story received mixed reactions. Some pointed out the inconsistencies of Lady Zamar’s story and they couldn't really tell if she was being truthful or otherwise.
The doubts notwithstanding, others expressed their admiration for her strength in coming out and sharing her story. Is this a genuine case or just an attention-grabbing gimmick?
While she’s respected by her fans, critics, and her fellow musicians such as Prince Kaybee and Busiswa, one artist that Lady Zamar does not seem to see eye to eye with is Babes Wodumo.
The Wololo hitmaker made headlines in August after a viral video was released, showing her making fun of Lady Zamar's acne.
The clip recorded Wodumo's voice while she was watching an episode of Idols SA at the time. Although she initially claimed a hacker was behind the video, she later admitted that the voice heard on the clip belonged to her. Lady Zamar said she was "horrified" when she saw the video but quickly brushed it off and moved on.
2020: Independent Music Award for Best Music Video Short Form
2019: SAMA for Highest Airplay Composer's Award
2019: SAMA for SAM PRA Highest Airplay Song of the Year
2018: SAMA for Best Dance Album
2017: DStv Msanzi Viewer's Choice Award for Song of the Year- "Charlotte"
Lady Zamar's Instagram: @Lady_Zamar
Lady Zamar's Twitter: @Lady_Zamar
Born on 19th June 1987, Lady Zamar’s age is 35.
Lady Zamar is originally from Tembisa, East Rand, Gauteng, SA
Lady Zamar speaks English, Malawi and Zulu.
Lady Zamar isn’t married and has no husband. The star is very private about her love life except when it comes to her scandal with ex-boyfriend Sjava.
From a small-town girl to a national star, Lady Zamar's story is quite the fairytale. Lady Zamar is one of the biggest female artists in South Africa who is known for her house sound. The singer and songwriter has won several awards and sold scores of albums. Let's not forget the millions of followers she has on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Lady Zamar's loyal fanbase has kept her relevant and shows the amount of influence she has in SA.
Born in Gauteng's Tembisa township on 19 June 1987, Lady Zamar moved to Mamelodi in Pretoria, where she spent most of her childhood.
According to the musician, her upbringing was confusing at times because she had to embrace two cultures from her parents. Lady Zamar speaks English, Malawi and Zulu.
The star attributes her love for music to her upbringing, where everyone in her family loved music:
Lady Zamar's singing | Source: Instagram
"My dad absolutely loved singing and being our vocal coach and tutor. My mum loved family worship, and whenever she had those, she would have us singing hymn notes,
"My dad was very particular about how you would sing. He would always put us in musicals, and always insisted that we watch musical shows. I remember watching the Phantom of the Opera, it was a three-hour show, and I was moved beyond," she told ZAlebs in an interview.
Lady Zamar grew up not sounding like the average girl from Tembisa and has been accused of trying to be American. The singer defended herself.
She described her heritage as a "curry pot" meaning that the mix of more than one culture has influenced her greatly.
Lady Zamar was born Yamikani Janet Banda. She chose the stage name Lady Zamar because of its Hebrew meaning. "Zamar" means to "Praise God through song and worship". It isn't too far off from her birth name, Yamikani, which means "praise" in Chewa.
Lady Zamar on stage | Source: Instagram
Lady Zamar gained fame when she was in a duo with Junior Taurus. Their success came with the hit Cotton Candy album which featured popular tracks such as ‘Mamelodi’. However, she soon announced that she was ready to fly solo.
It wasn’t until Lady Zamar released a solo debut album titled King Zamar that she became a household name. Although she admitted that going solo was nerve-wracking, the decision was right.
King Zamar won several awards, including a South African Music Award (SAMA) for ‘Best Dance Album’ and reached double-platinum status in 2019.
Lady Zamar on stage | Source: Instagram
Lady Zamar released her second studio album, Monarch, in June 2019. The 20-track album was a mix of kwaito, rap, pop, and house music. Her songs are meaningful and catchy. Here she talks about the Lady Zamar song, Sharpshooter:
"Sharpshooter' is one of my favourite songs. This is another reference to Greek mythology. Imagine Cupid was not cute and innocent. What if he was an actual sniper, going around demolishing people with their arrows of love. The person in the song is saying “Yeah I get that I’m supposed to be in love with this person because Cupid said so but Cupid is a mercenary and I ain’t about that life,” she said.
Lady Zamar has produced several hit songs since she made it on the music scene. Some of her hits include: This Is Love, My baby, Sunshine, Adore and Collide. While she’s churning out hits one after the other, the star is convinced her best is yet to come.
Lady Zamar singing | Source: Instagram
"I doubted that I could make another album that would match or even surpass King Zamar. I thought, 'Maybe it is beginners’ luck'. I didn't know how to go back to making another King Zamar, but I also could not figure out how to make a Monarch...
"It was a really challenging project because I didn't know I could supersede myself. I'm being compared to every single woman in the industry that comes up. Every time there's a new woman who's doing that music, you've got to compare me to her. It's exhausting sometimes," she said.
Lady Zamar’s father is Zambian and her mother is a South African. In fact, her parents spoke to each other mainly in English when they first started dating because they didn't know each other's language.
Sjava and Lady Zamar | Source: Briefly.co.za
Lady Zamar likes to keep her relationships secretive. The Cotton Candy singer dated fellow musician Sjava for two years. She admitted that they were dating on the same day she also confirmed their break-up. Contrary to what fans speculate, Lady Zamar doesn’t have a husband or fiancé.
Faustino Muhongo | Source: Instagram
She might not have a husband but someone might be charming his way into Lady Zamar’s heart. After she broke up with her fellow musician, Sjava, fans were dying to find out who the new man in her much-guarded love life was. She finally revealed the lucky fella. It was the Angolan Faustino Muhongo.
Neither Lady Zamar nor Faustino confirmed the alleged relationship.
Lady Zamar and Sjava | Source: TopNaija.ng
Yes. Lady Zamar finally put the rumours to rest with a tweet. She posted:
"We dated from June 2017 and ended things in March 2019... That's all so y'all can stop with the questions…Yes, he denied it to the media, but that's coz we wanted it to be a private thing... Cats out the bag, I guess. Such a pity it had to come out this way."
After their break-up, Lady Zamar revealed some rather shocking details about her relationship with Sjava. She accused him of verbal and sexual abuse. Plus, she only found out that Sjava was married when she was invited to his concert. Of course, Lady Zamar found it disrespectful. Who wouldn’t?
Lady Zamar | Source: ESA
Lady Zamar dropped another bomb on Netizens and fans alike. In an interview with Sunday World, it was revealed that Lady Zamar had opened a rape case against her ex-boyfriend Sjava whom she accused of rape.
The whole thing left fans shocked and while some believed her, others didn't. Sjava broke his silence and gave his side of the story. He denied the accusations and asked people not to prosecute him in the court of public opinion.
The saga between the two took another turn when Lady Zamar announced that she would go Live on Instagram to tell her side of the story.
She detailed her experience with Sjava, albeit emotional, and she tried her best to paint a picture of what happened.
The story received mixed reactions. Some pointed out the inconsistencies of Lady Zamar’s story and they couldn't really tell if she was being truthful or otherwise.
The doubts notwithstanding, others expressed their admiration for her strength in coming out and sharing her story. Is this a genuine case or just an attention-grabbing gimmick?
While she’s respected by her fans, critics, and her fellow musicians such as Prince Kaybee and Busiswa, one artist that Lady Zamar does not seem to see eye to eye with is Babes Wodumo.
The Wololo hitmaker made headlines in August after a viral video was released, showing her making fun of Lady Zamar's acne.
The clip recorded Wodumo's voice while she was watching an episode of Idols SA at the time. Although she initially claimed a hacker was behind the video, she later admitted that the voice heard on the clip belonged to her. Lady Zamar said she was "horrified" when she saw the video but quickly brushed it off and moved on.
2020: Independent Music Award for Best Music Video Short Form
2019: SAMA for Highest Airplay Composer's Award
2019: SAMA for SAM PRA Highest Airplay Song of the Year
2018: SAMA for Best Dance Album
2017: DStv Msanzi Viewer's Choice Award for Song of the Year- "Charlotte"
Lady Zamar's Instagram: @Lady_Zamar
Lady Zamar's Twitter: @Lady_Zamar
Born on 19th June 1987, Lady Zamar’s age is 35.
Lady Zamar is originally from Tembisa, East Rand, Gauteng, SA
Lady Zamar speaks English, Malawi and Zulu.
Lady Zamar isn’t married and has no husband. The star is very private about her love life except when it comes to her scandal with ex-boyfriend Sjava.
