Lerato Molapo, better known as Lira, knows that she has pretty much conquered the South African Afro- soul market. She now has her sights firmly set on international success.

   “It’s time for me to take the next step in my musical career and any artist will tell you that it does not get any bigger than the US,” she says.

 Molapo recently attended the Black Entertainment Television (Bet) Awards, where she was nominated in the  Best International Act: Africa Category. Even though she lost out to Nigerian pop artist Wizkid and Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie,  she says the nomination was just one of the things on her programme in the US.

   “First of all, I feel like a winner because I am the first soul singer to be nominated in that category, as the Bets have always nominated rappers,” Molapo says.

“Of course, winning it would have been even more special, but there was always a bigger plan for the trip. I feel like I am at the top of one mountain, but at the bottom of another.

“I am preparing for a global career and cracking it in the States is a sure way of becoming noticed. Even though I can’t really say who I was in talks with, I can say that I was introduced to artists, producers, writers and other stakeholders that have influence all over the world.”

  How is Molapo planning to sell Afro-soul to pop, R&B and rap-loving Americans?

“Breaking the international market is not something that I suddenly thought of overnight,” she says.

“From my first album, Feel Good, to my current one, Rise Again, I have been cultivating a distinct ‘Lira sound’ that will assist me to stand out from other soul singers. We all know exactly what is meant by the Sade or India Arie ‘sound’, and I’m not talking about their voices.

  “The very first thing that I am doing in the US is to release Rise Again: Greatest Hits. It is basically an introduction of the best of my songs taken from my various albums. It will give them a sense of who I am and what I do.”

Molapo is well-known as an ambassador for  positives that continue to come out of not only South Africa, but the entire continent. This characteristic led to the French magazine Vogue doing a story on her efforts to promote Africa. The singer mentions this in her concert film, Lira: The Captured Tour – Concert Film.  

“The world has taken note that as Africa, we are  re-branding ourselves, and they reckon I am one of the people that are closely associated with that movement, “ she says.