Lindiwe Bungane

Lindiwe Bungane is an Afro pop singer born in Zambia to exiled South African and Mozambican parents. She was born in the front seat of her moms beetle in the garage of their Kitwe home and is the 3rd born of 5 children. When her mother was pregnant with her, her South African father took her to go watch one of his favorite bands, the legendary South African group Uzinthombi Zesu Manje Manje who were performing in Zambia. After the performance her mother got to meet the members of the band and when she met one of the lead singers Lindiwe Mthembu, in a time of no baby scans, Lindiwe told her mother that she would have a girl and that the child would be a singer and must be named after her.

Her late father encouraged her to listen to all sorts of genres and this is why Lindiwe says she doesn't appreciate genres but great songs. She particularly was captivated by the music of Angelique Kidjo, Anna Mwale and Brenda Fassie and their music has a huge influence on the kind of artist she sees herself as.
Right after finishing her secondary education she moved to the capital city if Zambia, Lusaka and almost immediately started working with various bands like Jazz Connection and B-sharp. Despite being accepted into both Law and Medical school she knew where her heart found contentment and pursued music.

This choice began paying off when in her first year in the band circuit she was the youngest woman to be nominated and win the biggest music award in Zambia , the Zambia Music Award for "Best Female Performer". She was also the youngest woman to be included in a book entitled" 100 Women Celebrated in Zambia". Several awards followed including a Battle of the Bands award for "Best Female Performer" and " Mukuba Award for "Artist of the year".

After doing the hotel circuit she yearned for more and she began to spread her wings when she entered and won the international competition Project Fame Africa which saw over 10 million musicians from around the continent audition. Even though she didn't receive what the competition promised she believes the experience simply gave her an awakening to the industry and prepared her for greater things ahead.
The then presidentof Zambia , thelae Honorable Patrick Levy Mwanawasa rewarded her accomplishment by making her a diplomat.

In 2011 her world would change again when she decided to try her hand at acting. With no prior acting experince she booked the leading role of 'Miss Effie Melody White' in the hit Broadway musical Dream girls where she not only wowed audiences and received rave reviews but also won one of South Africa's noted awards; a Naledi, for " Best Performance in a Musical (female).

She has performed at various festivals and concerts around the world such as the live 8 concert in Johannesburg where she opened the live transmission to the rest of the world. In 2013 She performed at the FIFA world congress in Mauritius for high dignitaries. She has also appeared at the Fringe festival, Sidney festival, Hifa festival and Made festival just to mention a few.

Lindiwe continues to break down walls. In 2015 she wrote and performed a song that the International Labour Organisation, the oldest branch of the United Nations, used for the launch of their global campaign '50 for freedom' in the SADC region.

Lindiwe descibes her sound as both traditional and commercial with particularly strong strokes of Hip hop, soft rock, soul , dancehall, and African folk. Her love of different music styles influences her sound and makes her accessible to people all over the globe. She sings and writes in ethnic languages and English. She released her first album 'I Believe' in 2013 and a single 'So Lucky' in 2016. She is currently working on her second studio album.