‘No Man Owns My Music'

SoulfulhitmakerSHEKHINAHspeaks her mind on fame,the challenges faced by women in the music industry, and her debut album ROSE GOLD as a metaphor for the pursuit of perfection

- Afika Jadezweni

Growing up, Shekhinah Thandi Donnell (who goes by simply Shekhinah now) was an avid listener of the generation-spanning iconic voices of the ’90s and early 2000s – Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott, Madonna, Cher, Britney Spears and the late Amy Winehouse are among her musical influences. Now, 23 years old and an award-winning standout in the entertainment industry, she still cites Amy as one of her biggest vocal and performance inspirations because of the atypical nature of the Londoner’s talent, with which she identifies. It’s not surprising, then, that when South Africans were first introduced to Shekhinah’s golden pipes in 2012 at an Idols SA audition, she was singing Amy’s version of ‘Valerie’.

ENTERING IDOLS AT A YOUNG AGE WAS INTENTIONAL