After being hand-picked to tour with Sam Smith on the South African leg of his “Thrill of it All” Tour, Bonj is more motivated than ever to share her gift with audiences worldwide. Whilst classically-trained in Jazz, it was the love of dance and soul that led to Bonj seeing two back-to-back radio successes with the hits Til The Tide and later, with friend and fellow female force, DJ Zinhle with the track Against The Grain.
Bonj’s live performance sees the singer alongside respected multi-instrumentalist, Clem Carr, delivering a mix of processed beats and live musicianship combining dance, house and soul.
Bonj and team with Sam Smith in 2019
About Bonj
Bongiwe Mpanza known as BONJ is a quiet person at first glance. But the minute she steps on the stage, she becomes a force to be reckoned with. Her voice is husky and strong, yet rich, seductive and incredibly entrancing. Born and bred in Soweto, Bonj has been immersed in the music industry for over 10 years, and she’s only getting started.
She describes her sound as a blend of electronic music with soulful melodies and groove. She aspires to make music that moves, uplifts and makes people dance. Coming from a music-loving family, you can immediately hear her influences drawn from Gospel, Jazz, R&B, Soul, House & Kwaito.
Her raw, enchanting and power-house vocals are hard to miss at any live performance and like many iconic singers, she began singing in the church. After graduating from the National School of the Arts in 2007, Bonj began her singing career in earnest. She has performed alongside many great South African artists such Mafikizolo , Zakes Bantwini ,Zonke ,Lady Zamar and many more. She recently wrote a song called Ndaweni on Anatii’s highly acclaimed sophomore album Iyeza.
In 2009 she relocated to Cape Town and began studies in Jazz music at UCT.
After her studies, in 2017 Bonj moved back to Johannesburg to pursue her musical career. Shortly after multi-award winning Singer,Songwriter and Producer TRESOR signed her to his company Jacquel Entertainment Group, in partnership with Universal Music Group, after he was amazed by her live show.
Bonj’s debut album will be dropping later this year.
Connect with Bonj on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @BonjGlobal
For label enquiries, please contact Louise Pillay on louise.pillay@umusic.com
For bookings, please contact Morgan Ross on morgan.ross@umusic.com
For management enquiries, please contact Amaru Da Costa on amaru@adeagency.africa
To book Bonj, and more talented artists, be sure to get in touch with one of our agents now. Call 0117220500 or email umglive@umusic.com
About UMG Live
In a significant boost for the domestic music industry, Universal Music South Africa has acquired longstanding independent talent management agency, G Management.
Formed in 2017, under the guidance of several of the country’s top booking agents and record label executives, UMG Live is rapidly positioning itself as one of South Africa’s leading entertainment facilitation companies.
This new division of Universal Music is based in Johannesburg and will serve as the touring and live facility for all artists currently in a 360 deal with the record company.
UMG Live will also service many different artists outside Universal Music. This currently includes many of South Africa’s most talented and active artists including Swing City, The Muses and Okmalumkolat. In 2016, UMG Live acquired the exclusive booking agency rights for the talent signed to The Voice SA, adding another exciting element to its offerings.
With sister companies based in Denmark, Kenya and Nigeria , UMG Live represents the pinnacle of entertainment in many different territories – all with the backing of parent company Universal Music.
www.umglive.co.za