Nana Atta, real name Sinenhlanhla Mthembu, is the oldest of five children born in Stanger and raised by a single mother in Verulam, North of Durban.
She began her musical journey at the age of 11 when she wrote her first song for the family choir.
She would soon become leader of her school choir and later, at 23, grow into a powerful R&B and hip hop artist signed to Universal Music Group.
Nana’s wide range and sassy, unapologetic lyrics are what immediately strike most people.
Her soulful performances have seen her share a stage with the likes of Riky Rick, Aewon Wolf, Lira and the legendary Ringo Madlingozi.
She will again grace the stage this evening in an intimate setting at #BTBLive, a property created by Trace Southern Africa to celebrate emerging artists who are “’bout to blow” the industry out of the water.
The invite-only events are a collaborative effort between Trace and the continent’s record labels from independents to majors to provide more platforms for new artists to be seen and heard.
Nana Atta. Picture: Supplied
Nana will take the audience through her developing body of work and introduce them to her latest offering - Killed a Man - a song inspired by Rihanna centred on getting over a man.
“The song was written in 2008 while I was in high school. Much like most of my music, it was inspired by what I saw around me. I witnessed a lot of emotional and physical abuse at home and at school.”
Killed a Man is the first single off her album, which is to be released in August.
She hopes the album will be a source of hope and self-love for women across the continent and looks forward to sharing her gift with the world, one new fan at a time.
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