BONJ

BONJ was born for the stage, with a powerful soul voice and incredible stage presence she blends electronic music soulful melodies and groove. Undefined by genre, BONJ effortlessly moves between Pop, Gospel, Jazz, R&B, Soul, House & Kwaito.

Born and bred in Soweto, BONJ like many iconic singers, she began singing in the church. After graduating from the National School of the Arts in 2007, she relocated to Cape Town in 2009 and began studies in Jazz music at University of Cape Town. 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’ (2018) and later, with friend and fellow female force, DJ Zinhle with the track ‘Against The Grain’ (2019).

Her debut album ‘A Journal’ was released in 2021 and was nominated for Best Pop Album at the 2022 South African Music Awards (SAMA) with songs from the album being featured on the film ‘Coming 2 America’ and the Netflix series ‘Happiness Ever After’.

As a feature vocalists BONJ has collaborated with some of South Africa’s finest musicians including: ‘Uthando’ with House Victimz & Kaleido, ‘Sunwalker’, ‘Shine Through’ and They Don’t Care About Us’ with Card On Spokes, ‘Love To Share’ with Grassy Spark, ‘Ndaweni’ with Anatii, ‘Don’t Regret Loving You’ and “Show You Off’ with Easy Freak, ‘To My Tribe’ with Black Motion.

BONJ’s captivating live show led her to be hand-picked to tour with Sam Smith on the South African leg of their “Thrill of it All” World Tour, her 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. She has performed as a vocalist with some of South Africa’s most groundbreaking musicians, spanning the genre’s Hip-Hop (Stogie T), noirwave/afropop (Petite Noir), jazz (Bokani Dyer) and shared stages with artists such Mafikizolo, Zakes Bantwini, Zonke, Lady Zamar, Little Dragon, The Wailers, Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, Metronomy, Msaki and many more. In September 2019, she travelled to New York to speak at the UN’s Social Good Summit and perform at the UN General Assembly.

Drawing from a wide range of musical inspiration including Ella Fitzgerald, Jill Scott, Little Dragon, Hiatus Kaiyote, Kimbra, Brenda Fassie, Lebo Mathosa, Boom Shaka, Bongo Muffin, Thandiswa Mazwai, KING, Donna Summer, Aretha Franklin, Miriam Makeba as well as family, love, spirituality and all of the women in her life.

BONJ is ready to conquer the world with her explosively funky and fierce brand of future soul.
 
Press:
“‘A Journal’ Signals Her Arrival as a Solo Artist” - OKAYAFRICA

“In the age of black love, Afrofuturism and new iterations of African authenticity, vocalist Bonj Mpanza and multi-instrumentalist Clem Carr have developed a sound partnership that transcends the bounds of the music industry at large.” – Red Bull

“A Journal. The seven-track offering is a genre-bending and experimental project that exhibits Bonj’s individualism, creativity, and originality.” –...