Sally Boss Madam
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Sally Boss Madam | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Sally Ephraim Keya |
| Born | May 13, 1986 Katatura, Namibia[1] |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Labels | Boss Madam Productions |
Sally Ephraim Keya, professionally known first as "Sally" and later as "Sally Boss Madam" (born 13 May 1986), is a Namibian Afro-fusion singer and performer.[2] Her music has won top awards at the Namibian Annual Music Awards (NAMAs) in two different musical genres: soukous/kwasa (2013) and Afropop (2020). She was also named Best Female Artist in Southern Africa at the 2016 All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA).
Sally Boss Madam was born and raised in Katutura, a township five km north of Windhoek created when the local government between 1959 and 1964 forcibly moved Windhoek's entire black population there.[3][4] She took part in church choirs and began being asked to sing solos when she was eight years old.[5] In her teens, she started playing a keyboard and singing background vocals for other performers.[1]
In 2010, she married Bosley Keya, a music producer and DJ also known as DJ Kboz. The pair had met in 2008.[6][7] The couple have one son and were in 2017 named "favorite celebrity couple of the year" at the Simply You Magazine Lifestyle and Fashion Awards.[8] In 2020, however, they announced that they would end their marriage but continue their musical collaboration.[8]
Music career
Sally Boss Madam and her husband DJ Kboz worked together for three years on her first album Courage before its release in 2012.[7] One song from that album "Boss Madam" (a term coined by Sally that later became part of her professional name) "skyrocketed to the top of each and every music countdown" according to The Namibian[9] and became a feminist anthem.[7]
In 2013, she won (under the name "Sally) the Namibian Annual Music Awards (NAMAs) in the category "Best Soukous/Kwasa". ("Soukous" is music derived from Congolese rumba but faster and more intricate; kwasa is a dance style associated with soukous.)[10]
Her second album I Am Mukwanekamba, released in 2016, included a range of African musical styles including percussion.[11] It was also in 2016 that her single "Natural" won the All Africa Music Award (AFRIMA) for Best Female Artist in Southern Africa.[5]
Her 2017 album My Black got positive reviews that also commented on its range of genres, with The Namibian citing its "varying sounds from soukous, dancehall, gospel, house and an overall urban vibe"[12] while another review mentions also rhythm and blues plus Afro-pop.[13] The song "What You Say" from this album was nominated for the 2018 African Music Industry's Afrika People's Choice award in the category Best Female Southern Artist.[14]