South African singer Lisa Good takes ‘Happy World’ to New York

The singer, whose real name is Sandisiwe Lisa Ntonga, hails from Lamontville near Durban. She moved to Johannesburg to pursue her career with independent label Xhentsa Entertainment. She is also a qualified sound engineer.

Her single ‘Happy World’ (also known as ‘Haybo’) was released recently with a high-quality music video shot in Durban and Lamontville. The song has already been well-received in the American market, with one reviewer writing that the track “feels like summer time”.

The song and video were chosen for the Coast 2 Coast Mixtapes annual music showcase competition. Coast 2 Coast Mixtapes are behind some of the most widely distributed mixtapes in the world, with over 100 million plays generated by over 300 volumes. Coast 2 Coast has a solid reach in the new music industry with a digital magazine, DJ coalition, industry blog, yearly convention, and more.

As part of the contest, Lisa will be performing at Aviv in Brooklyn, New York City on Saturday 28 May from 9pm.

As the singer prepares for her first international performance, she told Music In Africa this week:  “I feel so excited and proud of myself that I get to go to US and perform there, especially representing South Africa. I believe other artists can learn from my trip and start dreaming big by also starting to search for international platforms for selling their craft.

"It's all overwhelming! This is the result of team work from Xhentsa Entertainment; the great part is that they will be there to support me. I feel special that I get to represent my country. It will be an honour and a wonderful experience!”

The singer, who remains relatively unknown in South Africa, has big plans for her future. “When I return I'll be busy with finishing off my album and planning the launch, and doing more shows,” she explained. “We want to make as much noise as possible and expand the Lisa Good brand to other countries. The UK, US and Namibia are already aware of me, so when I’m back I will continue working and make sure that I launch my album in all other countries!”