She is talented and among the best our country has produced.

She may not be in the league of Thandiswa Mazwai, Lira, Simphiwe Dana and the late Brenda Fassie, and comparing her with them may be a bit off the mark.

The former three are big names in their own right, but can't match her record sales on her inaugural album Loliwe.

In the popularity stakes, she seems to be following in the footsteps of Fassie, but she has more to do to get to Brenda's level.

She has been in the music industry for only eight months but on Monday night she won eight awards at the South African Music Awards, which were held at Sun City in North West. The Samas, as they are popularly known, are like the Grammy Awards and arecoveted among artists.

Zahara comes from a disadvantaged background in Phumlani, a poverty-stricken village not far from East London, in Eastern Cape. Like any other black person, she almost did not realise her dream.

When TS Records discovered her she was performing at a club in her home town. Zahara did not believe her luck and so far she has not disappointed.

Her position should be likened to a beautiful dream that the country will not want to see coming to an end, not only for her but for TS Records.

TS Records is one of the black-owned and independent recording companies in the country.

There were reports that it was going bankrupt before Zahara joined the stable. She gave it a shot in the arm.

Recently, there were also reports that TS Records was not treating her well. These led to the Eastern Cape government intervening.

This was a first.

Other artists are left to fend for themselves. The government only came to the rescue of the late Brenda Fassie and Simon "Mahlathini" Nkabinde by arranging their funerals. The two were national assets too, but died poor.

Zahara has to protect herself and not be taken in by the glamour of fame.

Almost every main event in the country features her in the line-up. She is our national star, celebrated by hundreds of thousands of people all over the country.

Could she be something that could take us beyond the greatness of the likes of Fassie, and lead a responsible life rather than that of the pop icon who succumbed to social pressures?

Well done Zahara. But beware of the ills that come with fame.

Comments

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Sun May 26 07:26:09 SAST 2013 ::

May 2, 2012

tpaz

TS records , I beg I beg ohhh, please don't steal her small small mooney ooh
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May 2, 2012

MorenaWaPolelo

The way TS executives were celebrating I sense they are going to rob this farm girl blind...she must get a lawyer pronto!!!!
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May 2, 2012

Dzel

Doesn’t Zahara have her own management team that can ensure she gets the best deal possible?

In soccer it is common for club officials to approach parents of a young talent who do not know anything about business or contracts and entice them with gifts of little value so they can secure their signature. It is also telling that it is Zahara siblings who went public with stories of her being shot changed so one has to ask what would they have to gain by inventing these stories and invite negative publicity for their sibling.

Zahara comes across as vocal and intelligent but I was not convinced by the damage control exercise on Metro days after the story broke, something is just not right with this picture.

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May 2, 2012

sabza007

Zahara, you are the best my darling.You proved that anyone can change their lives completely in less than a year. Well done for the SAMA Awards.

@ TS Records: Please give Zahara her money, advise her on how to or how not to spend it. But her money must be in her bank accounts. We don't expect her to get less than R3 million after everything and everyone has been paid their dues.

Allow her to tour with Ladysmith Black Mambazo as they had requested. Don't block her wings. Its time for her to shine and be known worldwide.
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May 2, 2012

Dzel

For the record Editorial Team I think Brenda is the most overrated recording artist in recent times. She did not have the best voice around, she ruled at a time when SA music was in serious trouble with many ending up listening to house music which Brenda herself copied shamelessly to stay relevant. The less said about her off stage antics the better; she was not involved in charity, was the first real drug abuser of note in the industry setting a tragic example for others to follow, she was rude and not the kind of person we should hold in high regard.

We sell ourselves short by keeping on referring to people like Brenda as our icons, sure she sold a lot of copies but there is more to an artist than that. Zahara is a musician, a self-taught musician who has only released one album and redefined the industry. Surely you should be giving her more credit than you are in this article.

How many SAMA awards did Lira and Thandiswa get in the last 5 years for example? Lira is a great vocalist, make no mistake but I think Zahara is more well rounded than Lira is, just my opinion.

Zahara is a star and she is bound to get better.

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May 2, 2012

JUBJUB

Shame poor gal they must stop doing that to her...i saw how happy they were mxm
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May 2, 2012

Tabza325is

As much as people say Zahara mustn't be taken by fame, the media and everybody is already pressuring her in spending her money, her family are already pressurising her to spend the fruits of her success, people are not willing to believe that yes she has her money and is taking her time in deciding were to go with her life, she doesn't even have a drivers licence and yet people are already pressuring her in seeing her in a fancy car, TS is not chawing this girls money but because people don't see her spending her money like a fool that Sluika thinks we are.
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May 2, 2012

svavava

with nhlanhla's baby on the way, yho they wil use that money for nappies, kwaaaa. i have never liked TS records, i wont lie
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May 2, 2012

ncagumbuduma

@MORENA JA, The high five were suspicious. kukhona okukhona okusolisayo.
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May 2, 2012

kokwane

hlokomela.banna ba tla go lapisa, ba tlabe ba go setse morago go re ba go senyetse carree fela.
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