| The news of South African songbird Lerato "Lira" Molapo's stroke sent shockwaves through the country on Tuesday.
A statement shared on Lira's social media platforms confirmed that the 43-year-old had suffered a stroke while in Germany for a performance, but had returned to South Africa to recover.
"As a result, her ability to communicate, in particular, her speech, has been impacted," the statement read.
A formidable presence on the global music scene
Lira's musical journey started in 1995 when she was 16 years old. In a 2015 interview with Afropop Worldwide, she shared more about how it started with writing a song and entering a talent competition.
"At 16, I did so much in one year. I decided, I'm going to write a song. Wrote the song. Then there was an opportunity to enter a talent show, so I teamed up with a friend of mine," she said at the time.
"We won best vocalist, best performance, best composition. All in one year. And then, with that win, we had opportunities to perform in different spaces for young and old, all kinds of races. And for the first time, I saw how my own music had the power to connect with different races."
Having had no support in pursuing a musical career, Lira settled into a finance job. But by the time she turned 22, she had devised five-year plan in which she would quit her job and concentrate on singing.
When she turned 24, Lira released her debut album, All My Love, with the Kwaito record label 999 Music. The title track off the album surpassed Beyonce's Dangerously in Love on its run to the top of the SA Charts.
In 2006, Lira signed with Sony Music and released four albums – Feel Good (2006), Soul in Mind (2008), Lira Live in Concert: A Celebration (2009), and Return to Love (2011).
Three of these albums were certified platinum and subsequently won her numerous accolades and multiple South African Music Awards (SAMAs) – 11 to date.
Lira then released Rise Again in 2014 through the independent USA record label - Shanachie. This was the start of her international career.
Two years later, Lira released her global album Born Free under her own label, Otarel Music.
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