Carnegie Hall

Thandiswa Mazwai has been one of the most influential post-apartheid singers in South Africa. She began her career in 1996 with music groups Jacknife and Bongo Maffin, one of the pioneering bands of the dance music genre kwaito. After recording six award-winning albums with Bongo Maffin, she ventured on to a solo career.

Her first solo project, Zabalaza (2004), reached double-platinum status and won a KORA Award for Best African Female and four South African Music Awards. Her critically acclaimed sophomoric release Ibokwe (2009) and third album Belede (2016) reached gold status within a few weeks of release. Her compositions include traditional Xhosa music, mbaqanga, funk, jazz, and reggae. Sankofa (2024), her fourth release, was recorded in Johannesburg, Dakar, and New York, and combines archival Xhosa samples, jazz, and West African music. It includes songs produced by Meshell Ndegeocello, Chris Bruce, Nduduzo Makhathini, and Ms. Mazwai.

Known for her electrifying performances, Ms. Mazwai has performed all over the world at venues that include NPR’s Tiny Desk, Apollo Theater, Lincoln Center, Cannes Film Festival, Africa Express, BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music, TED, Afropunk Festival, and Carnegie Hall Citywide, among others. She has collaborated with artists such as Hugh Masekela, Ms. Ndegeocello (including on her 2024 Grammy Award–winning album), Fatoumata Diawara, Somi, and DJ Black Coffee.