Arts & Culture
Tuesday, January 24, 2012Africa Style Daily: Exclusive Q&A With South African Mega-Star, Lira
by Lynecia Burgess, Africa Style DailyShare this article:
If you don’t know Lira, consider yourself introduced. A mega-talent and platinum-selling success inAfrica for many years, now the award-winning songstress is ready to make her way into the hearts and minds of stateside music fans with her eclectic blend of Afro-pop and jazz, that always inspires and uplifts. After consecutive million selling albums on the continent, she not only has amassed troves of fans, many international luminaries such as Oprah and Oliver Stone count themselves among them. The always elegant singer told us a bit about her new album, Rise Again, what we can expect from it musically, and we even got to know about some of her special places in Africa. We are excited and on the lookout for her upcoming album this fall! Read on and get to know her!AfricaStyleDaily.com: How do you feel as you are about to release your fifth album, which will also be your American debut?
LIRA: I’m excited. My American audience is basically meeting me at a point where I’ve had 10 years of a successful music career in Africa. I wanted to give them a sense of everything I am. The music on Rise Again is upbeat, it’s a real feel good album – and displays everything I’m about. The States as a singular territory is so much larger than South Africa and far more competitive but I’m ready to explore new ground.
ASD: Did you do anything different musically being that this is your “official” introduction to American audiences?
LIRA: Sonically my producer has reworked the mixes and as a whole the material has been given a revamp overall for American audiences. But for the most part Rise Again is a combination of tracks from past albums which have only been released in South Africa like Return to Love, Feel Good and Soul in Mind. It was tricky finding the balance of bringing numerous songs together from different chapters of my musical journey.
ASD: For those who are new to your music, describe the Lira experience: what will music lovers feel when they hear this new album?
LIRA: I hope they’ll feel great when listening to it. I know life is tough and the global economy places people is an uneasy space… my music brings messages of hope, comfort, celebration. It’s meant to make you feel good through all of life’s trials and tribulations.
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