Yvonne Mwale

Born in 1988 in Lusaka, Zambia, Yvonne Mwale is a female musician born to Michael Mwale and former songstress Jelita Mwanza. Both parents passed on when she was 12 years and she was left with nothing save for her music talent. She began her musical journey at a tender age and has performed with different choirs and churches all over the country. Her relatives took everything left by her parents and she was forced to live in the streets for nearly two years. She managed to make a living by doing little jobs.

Challenges never stopped her from pursuing her dreams. She joined a Zambian group called B-Sharp as a vocalist where she enjoyed the advanced music education of Jones Kabanga an outstanding musician with an international reputation. She gained fame in Lusaka and other places through her dynamic performances. In 2009, she was awarded Best Upcoming Female Artist at the Ngoma Awards, a national music awards in Zambia.

That same year, she formed a music band called Nyali. She was a lead singer of that group. In August 2009, they participated in the Music CrossRoads InterRegional Festival held in Livingstone, Zambia. They won the competition and later that year the U.S. Embassy in Lusaka initiated a project for the Department of State of the United States of America. Yvonne was asked to participate in a song based on one of Barack Obama’s popular speeches.

The following year her band recorded her first album. They were invited to tour Europe where they performed for several months in eight countries. In Africa, she performed in countries such as South Africa and Malawi.

In 2011, she went to Tanzania, where recorded her solo album called ‘Kalamatila’. In January 2012, she signed with the Danish label Caravan Records. In May 2014, she completed the recording of her new album where she managed to manifest her unique musical signature. The ‘Ninkale – Let Me Be’ album was released on 28 June 2014.

She has won a number of awards and competitions namely, Best upcoming Female Artist at the 2009 Ngoma Music Awards, Zambia, Winner of the 2009 Music CrossRoads InterRegional Competition, 2012 Award winner at the Jahazi Jazz Festival Competition, she is the 2013 nominee at the Montreux Jazz Vocal Competition, presided by Quincy Jones, she was also nominated in two categories at the 2013 Kilimanjaro Tanzania Music Awards, she is the 2013 nominee for Africa’s Most Influential Women in Business and Government. In addition, she became the
2013 finalist at the RFI Prix Decouverté 2013 (Radio France Internationale) and 2014 nominee at the Master-Jam International Festival-Contest of Jazz Improvisation Skills.