MAMA presents Toya Delazy

Jazz-pianist, producer and singer-songwriter Latoya Buthelezi, known as the dynamic jazz-electro-hip-pop phenom Toya Delazy, has made her mark as one of the country’s finest performers to break new ground in South Africa’s burgeoning music industry. Despite being born into a Zulu royal family, Toya found it very easy to create her own identity within her esteemed heritage. At age 9 she began to train in classical piano, and as the years passed she expanded to jazz piano as well, and attended Howard College’s Jazz Programme in 2009. Due to her exposure to all manner of influences, from jazz to classical, electro and hip hop, she combined all of her knowledge to piece together the different nuances, performing around Durban’s pubs before successfully being scouted by Sony Music Africa, and thereafter performing at the 2011 Africa Concert in Johannesburg. As her first ever large-scale solo performance, she shared a stage with the legendary Baaba Maal, The Mahotella Queens, Habib Koite and Tumi & The Volume. Toya eventually signed to the record label and saw the release of her debut album entitled Due Drop in April of 2012 raise the bar to fresh, new heights.

With her multiple award-winning first album Due Drop as a massive ground-breaking success, Toya embarked on a new journey in 2014 with Ascension — the thrilling second part of an intended trilogy that embodies the complete transformation from jazz-electro-pop phenomenon and singer-songwriter to self-produced musician, with a forward-thinking take on the future sound of South African electronic music. Having recently spent two months exploring the music scenes in Los Angeles, New York, Berlin, France, Bangkok and Frankfurt, Toya has returned to hand-pick a brand new team consisting of the country’s most creatively adept choreographers, art directors and wordsmiths to complete her dream campaign. Paired with world-class dancers, collaborators, producers and sound engineers on all-new tracks and with visually enticing backdrops for her shows, this album is set to propel her further than she had ever dreamed.