ASANDA JEZILE
SHE may have failed to win the 2013 edition of Britain’s Got Talent, but Asanda Jezile is making serious strides in the music industry and is recording her debut album.
Born in the UK to South African parents, Asanda auditioned for the series with Rihanna’s Diamonds and received rave reviews for her strong voice and powerful stage presence.
Speaking while on holiday in East London yesterday, Asanda recalled her experience on the show, saying it opened many doors for her.
“I have met so many people – celebrities that I never thought I would [meet] – and I have been getting my own gigs and performing at different places,” she said.
“Things really started happening for me after the show. It was an amazing experience.”
She said the pressure of balancing school work and the competition had prepared her for a future in music.
For 11 months she was cast in the famous kids’ musical Bugsy Malone, where she played the role of Tallulah, an experience she would treasure forever.
The husky-voiced 13-yearold, who has a strong British accent, said her mother, Prudence, convinced her to enter the competition.
“I used to watch the show every year and I wanted to go on it, but never really had the confidence.
“My mom encouraged me a lot. She’d be like ‘Hey, wena, you can sing, you can do this’. So eventually I was like, ‘Okay I’ll do it’ and then, boom, I’m in the finals! It was awesome,” she said.
Both Asanda’s parents are musicians. Her mother is a South African gospel specialist who used to do backing vocals for Rebecca Malope and her father, Luyanda, was a singer in the original movie soundtrack of The Lion King.
Both parents are still in the music industry and run SA Cultural Talents UK for African musicians and artists in the UK.
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