Ayanda Nhlangothi

Ayanda Nhlangothi’s career blossomed at the tender age of 10 as the voice of young Simba in the Zulu Lion King movie and little sister in the movie Sarafina. At 15, she recorded with Bheki Mseleku and was the youngest jazz vocalist in his international jazz concert. In 2002, she was regarded as the “Voice of the Nation” in Africa’s first Idols competition; winning lead to work off-Broadway in New York, performances with Andreas Vollenweider in Switzerland, and an appearance in the 2013 AFCON Opening Ceremony, singing and playing the makhweyana. This extremely diverse artist and musician, aka Ayanda Pyramid, is the daughter of Reginald “Bhunu” Nhlangothi and Marilyn Thenjiwe Nokwe. Her strong sense of social consciousness was influenced by her family’s rich musical history, which was inherited from her grandparents, the late Patty and Alfred Nokwe. Guided by her aunt Tu Nokwe, Nhlangothi is a proud ambassador of arts, music, and culture. When she is not performing, Nhlangothi teaches youth and children at the Amajika Arts & Life Centre and hosts a radio show called Restoration in Progress, which empowers victims of bullying, anxiety, and depression through music, stories, and laughter on WOMan Radio, founded by Yvonne Chaka Chaka.