Zahara is the singing sensation from Eastern Cape who has taken the South African music industry by storm.

She made a near-clean sweep of the SA Music Awards this year, claiming eight awards at the prestigious event in Sun City.

And to think that not very long ago, she was just another village lass with a seemingly impossible dream.

So who is this beautiful woman who has the amazing voice?

Zahara, whose real name is Bulelwa Mkutukana, was born in the village of Phumlani in the Eastern Cape. Her nickname, Spinach, was given to her at a young age, and her singing name means ‘budding flower’ in Arabic.

The 25-year-old is the fifth child in a family of six children.

Zahara started singing in her school’s choir when she was six year old, and joined the senior choir at the age of only nine because of her amazing voice.

She taught herself how to play guitar, and she’s also a great hip-hop dancer. She is also a bit of an actress.

She is an excellent impersonator: during an interview with GreenITWeb.co.za, she did brilliant impersonations of DJ Sbu and Nelson Mandela.

Zahara’s musical inspiration when she was younger included the likes of the late Miriam Makeba, Dorothy Masuka, and Rebecca Malope. Her singing has been compared to Lira, Simphiwe Dana, and Siphokazi, but many believe that she will dethrone South Africa’s current favourite songstress, Lira, because of her popularity and talent.

Her debut album Loliwe has apparently sold 200,000 copies already, breaking industry records.

Article courtesy of MSN.