Asanda Mqiki

“Mqiki is a vocal force, a true Afro-soul revelation with an insane degree of control over her notes. Emotive and sassy, exuding a jazzy persona unlike anything I’ve seen she was my best vocal performance of the weekend.” - Texx and the City

Multi-award winning vocalist Asanda Mqiki hails from Port Elizabeth, like many other South African music legends including Feya Faku & Zolani Mahola. Her music draws from the strong choral tradition of the Eastern Cape, and her signature musical style brings together jazz, soul, R&B and sometimes even a touch of kwaito. Her vibrancy on stage is complemented by her deeply sensitive singing, which often result in audiences on their feet or accompanying her in song.

In 2015, she won the Standard Bank Gold Ovation Award for Jazz at the National Arts Festival, and in 2016 was the only African artist selected to perform at the inaugural LoveBusk online festival, organised out of Australia. She has twice performed by invitation at the Gothenberg Culture Festival in Sweden.

Says JazzE’s Shalom Zamisa: “The richness of her voice, the generosity of her performance, her versatility and authenticity all astounded me. She was the same lyrical, charismatic and gracious Asanda Mqiki, but with more depth and complexity than I could have anticipated...her emotive and often spontaneous way takes nothing away from her skill. She transitionsfrom celebratory to thoughtful, Xhosa to English, Pop to Jazz, seamlessly. Watching her perform was an engaging exercise in feeling and listening deeply.”

Mqiki’s recent highlight shows in South Africa include headlining the Cape Town Festival with Vicky Sampson and Jimmy Nevis, and the Oppikoppi festival of 2016. Her “Vocal Explosion” collaboration with Maya Spector played to capacity houses at the Market Theatre and the Cape Town Fringe festival, and her collaboration on the song “Lizzy” with platinum-selling a capella group The Soil has garnered her a fanbase across South Africa.

Her full band is a seven piece ensemble featuring Thoba Goba on drums, Grant Allison on bass, Mthokozisi Mabuza on 1st keys, Que Qingana on 2nd keys, Kamva Goba on percussion, Joash Soobramoney on tenor sax and Asanda Mqiki on lead vocals.

For bookings or other enquiries, contact:
Nikki Froneman
Arte Viva Management
+27 84 2266 556
nikki@artevivamanagement.com