Meet Thulile Zama

Thulile Zama is an incredibly versatile musician. She holds a BA in Music and recently completed her Honours in Culture, Communication, and Media at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She is best known as the lead vocalist of Heels Over Head, the all-female contemporary jazz band that was nominated for the South African Music Awards in 2011 and won the Yamaha Young Artist award in 2010.

Furthermore, she has been paying tribute to Mama Africa and Sophiatown through her quartet since 2017. The show is a compilation of Sophiatown’s finest music with songs made famous by Miriam Makeba. Selected by Thulile Zama, the Creative Director, the show includes the distinctive sound we all know, comprising of the most exciting and favourite songs, but also emotional songs, all contributing to a vital sketch of our rich musical heritage. Tribute to Mama Africa has been in theatres and live music venues across KZN and South Africa with shows at The State Theatre in Pretoria, Hilton Arts Festival, POP Art in Johannesburg, Rhumbelow Theatre in Durban, Pietermaritzburg and Kloof and Alliance Française in Durban. In 2023, the band Headlined the No Franco#5 festival in Maputo, Mozambique. In January 2024, it was well received in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

But Thulile is not just a vocalist; she is also a music promoter and concert organiser. She has worked with some of the best venues, such as the Centre for Jazz and Popular Music, Rhumbelow Theatre, Emakhosini Boutique Hotel and Dukkah Boutique and Bar With over two decades of experience under her belt, Thulile Zama is undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with in the music scene. Her talents are well received in Europe, having already been twice in 2024, performing in the Netherlands and parts of Germany.

Collaborated and formed N’den, a musical outfit that released their debut album titled "Sisingathiwe" in June 2023.