Nia

nell

: Si

nger

-son

gwrit

er N

iane

ll is

a v

iva

ciou

s, fi

ery-

haire

d m

usic

al t

ale

nt. W

ith a

n im

ma

cula

te fo

ur-o

cta

ve v

oice

, her

mus

ic is

b

oth

orig

ina

l and

exc

iting

, ble

ndin

g el

emen

ts o

f fol

k, p

op, c

lass

ica

l and

eve

n C

eltic

influ

ence

s, m

aki

ng h

er o

ne o

f the

p

rem

iere

mus

ic s

tars

in S

outh

ern

Afri

ca a

nd b

eyon

d.

Nia

nell,

Sout

h A

frica

n sin

ger-s

ongw

riter

Nianell was born and bred in small-town Omaruru, Namibia. After school, she studied light music in Pretoria, earning her diploma, and later she studied clas-sical music with Trinity College London

and Unisa. She enjoyed modest success as a live performer dur-

ing the 1990s, but her first major success was the result of her prodigious talent as a songwriter. Her composi-tion Who Painted the Moon? was recorded by young international light-classical star Hayley Westenra, and the song was featured as the lead single from the 2 million-seller album Pure. Around the same time, Nianell released her debut album, also titled Who Painted the Moon?, to critical success in South Africa.

Since then, Nianell has become a national musi-cal institution, releasing three more platinum-selling albums titled Angel Tongue, Life’s Gift and I Know I’m Lucky. Angel Tongue won Best English Contemporary Album at the 2005 South African Music Awards (SAMA), and Nianell herself won the prestigious SAMA for Best Female Songwriter for the album’s hit single, We’ll Find a Way.

She has also been a popular live performer, with career highlights that include performances with Christina Aguilera, Westlife and Diana Ross at the Unite the Stars Concert for the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund in 2005. She also performed with legendary Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli at the Celebrate Africa event held during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Hea

rt an

d Sou

lBy

CD

And

erso

n

Nianell’s incredible musical talent, combined with inner wisdom and passion, ensures her audiences of a journey beyond imagination.

Internationally, Nianell released a compilation of her first three albums in Singapore and Indonesia in 2008, and many of her songs have been play-listed on radio stations around the world.

In 2007, Nianell released her first performance DVD, recorded live at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg – a top production that showcased her refined vocal and undeniable musical talents with the support of a full band and orchestra. Although the DVD release achieved both critical and commercial success, the highlight of the year for Nianell was undoubtedly the birth of her triplet girls, who became the inspiration for both her life and her later work.

In 2009, Nianell joined forces with Afrikaans pop singer Dozi, releasing an album and DVD of duets titled It Takes Two – yet another platinum seller for Nianell that also firmly established her career within the successful Afrikaans music market.

Nianell’s sixth album and accompanying live DVD, Sand & Water, was released in early 2010 and earned her SAMA nominations for the Best Global Chart DVD and Best Female Artist of the Year awards. A compilation of her earlier work, focussed on establish-ing herself in the United States market, was released digitally on iTunes this year.

In 2011, Nianell is set to publish her first book, a semi-biographical inspirational tome that encourages readers to learn to love and accept themselves. The book, titled Knowing Who I Am, is available in both English and Afrikaans. It contains many inspirational stories and fascinating anecdotes from her career and life that she feels may help her fans and others redis-cover their own paths to happiness.

Interconnected with this project, Nianell also motivates others as the director of Proud Partners, a charity organisation that enables people to reach for their purpose in life and share their gifts with others. Nianell feels that this positive work gives people hope in much the same way as her music is able to provide listeners with ‘wings’ to soar.

Nianell’s incredible musical talent, combined with inner wisdom and passion, ensures her audiences of a journey beyond imagination. She sees life as a gift. Her positive energy motivates people to explore themselves and reach for their utmost and sometimes

hidden abilities. Through her musical language, listen-ers understand why words are sometimes unnecessary, and how every soul can interpret the melody according to its own needs.

What is your recipe for success? Do what you love and what you’re passionate about.

What would you still like to achieve in life? I would like to listen more. I would also like to think

less and be more.

What is your philosophy for work and life? “Life’s gift to me is just to be” – that is my philosophy.

I do what I love, so even though it can be tiring it’s not draining, which leaves me with enough energy for eve-rything else in my life. I’ve realised that I have already received everything I need to live a life worth living.

What are the biggest challenges associated with your role as an entertainer and artist?

To remember that we are not the approval we seek from others, and we are not what we achieve or ac-cumulate.

What can be done to enhance the status of women in the music business?

The business side of the music industry is probably the downfall of most artists. Artists should educate themselves before signing contracts, and should align themselves with credible associates. Get to know how the industry works and act in a professional manner – after all, the arts are a business. Every artist is re-sponsible for enhancing the status of artists by being professional and operating with integrity.

Who are your role models and mentors? I love the work of Dr Wayne Dyer, Neale Donald

Walsch, Luis Falcao and Louise Hay, to name but a few. They are all authors and speakers in the field of self-development, spiritual awareness and motivation. I’ve had many guides in my life – some are famous and some are ordinary people. I admire people who love themselves unconditionally and enjoy life; that is, after all, the purpose of life.