Yoli Zama is a South African born singer and songwriter.

 

A young political exile during Apartheid, she honed her voice amid the urban sounds of Harlem in the 80s. Weaving her native language of isiXhosa with English, Yoli Zama fuses the lush and organic textures of Southern African music with the vibrant and dynamic melodies of folk and soul to create a sound that is at once unique and transcendent. She credits Miriam Makeba, Busi Mhlongo, Joni Mitchell, and Tracy Chapman with having the greatest influence on her music.

 

Yoli currently resides in Brooklyn, New York, and is working on an EP.