Growing up in Bishop Lavis, a suburb just outside of Cape Town, Zoe Zana began her career modeling, dancing and singing her way onto the next project. She had always wanted to enter South African (SA) Idols, but decided to focus on completing her Matric year first before embarking on that chapter of her musical journey.
In the meantime, she showcased her talent at the KKNK (Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees) and performed in the musical theatre production Droom, featuring Elana Afrika. Eventually, in 2011, she was scouted by directors Hennie Van Greunen and Pedro Kruger who then cast her in her first role in the Afrikaans theatre musical Gly, which as the name suggests was based on the concept of the popular musical series Glee.
In 2013 the determined singer made it all the way to the top 4, as the only female left standing on SA Idols Season 9. Zoe stated how blessed she was to have gone that far in the competition and said: ‘‘my journey has been filled with ups and downs but the experience is unexplainable; it’s all thanks to God!”
SA Idols certainly changed her life and was an overwhelming experience, especially due to the instant fame she received. She emphasizes that it is not for the faint hearted and that one has to be “strong, hard working and dedicated.”
Since then, the pint-sized singer has been working with Loyiso Bala, of Loyiso Music, towards establishing her solo career. Her much anticipated debut single, Bulletproof, was released in June 2014 and was playlisted on over 15 radio stations within the first month. A further two singles are set to be released before the end of the year.
