SA's undisputed Queen of Song, Lira’s formidable career has seen her perform across the globe, win numerous awards and accolades, earn tens of thousands of fans, and achieve double platinum sales.
Yet it is her musical integrity, and her ability to reach out and touch her listener, young and old, black and white, which has established Lira as a crossover artist capable of delivering to everyone from hip, black urbanistas to suburban grannies and everyone in-between.
Lira, who studied Financial Accounting and Auditing at the Vaal Technicon, entered the South African music industry in 2000, being punted as South Africa’s newest R&B “starlet”. Then signed to one of the country’s indie stables, Lira released the album ‘All My Love’ in 2003, but withdrew from the music industry and public eye shortly thereafter, when she realised that the record company's vision for her was not in line with her own principles and musical virtues.
She returned to the public eye with a bang in 2006 with her Sony debut, ‘FEEL GOOD’, a gold-selling album that swung with consummate ease between jazz and soul and pop even, to create the beginnings of what is now Lira’s signature sound. Next was the platinum-selling, multi-award winning 2008 album ‘SOUL IN MIND’, described by Lira as “the sound of a woman getting into her own skin, of finding her own creative voice”. Soul In Mind ruled the 2009 SA Music Awards, winning a leading four SAMAs, including the prestigious Album of the Year and Female Artist of the Year.
In 2010 Lira became the first South African artist to release a live music concert on Blu-ray and selling multi- platinum numbers of her DVD ‘Live In Concert – A Celebration’. 2011 saw the multi-award winning artist return with a fourth studio album - RETURN TO LOVE, reflective of her true identity, and inevitably a top-seller.
Apart from headlining numerous festivals in Southern Africa, and performing to sold out venues across the country, Lira has performed extensively abroad in countries including Italy, Germany and other European countries, and Fiji, while she’s poised to make an impact on the US music scene in 2012. She has featured across the media locally and abroad, and made her film debut in the Italian film "The Italian Consul" in 2011.
‘Return To Love’ [Audio CD] (31 Jan 2011)
‘Live In Concert – A Celebration: Remastered Second Edition’ [Audio CD] (Nov 2010)
‘Live In Concert – A Celebration’ [Blu-Ray] (Nov 2010)
‘Live In Concert - A Celebration’ [DVD] (Oct 2009)
‘Live In Concert - A Celebration’ [Audio CD] (Oct 2009)
‘Soul In Mind’ [Audio CD] (2008)
‘Feel Good’ [Audio CD] (2006)
‘All My Love’ [Audio CD] (2003)
2010 - The 16th Annual South African Music Awards (SAMA)
SAMA - Best Female Artist
SAMA - Best Global Chart DVD [Live In Concert: A Celebration]
2009 - The 15th Annual South African Music Awards (SAMA)
SAMA - Best Female Artist
SAMA - Album of the Year [Soul In Mind]
SAMA - Best Adult Contemporary Album [Soul In Mind]
SAMA - Remix of the Year [Feel Good]
2008
SAMA - Best Selling Download [Feel Good]
SAMA - Best Music Video [Ixesha]
2007
Best Music Video [Feel Good]