July 24 Lira at World Cafe Live Upstairs

Lira Over the past few years - buoyed by multi-platinum sales of her three studio albums and live DVD, a mantelpiece full of awards and support of fans - Lira has made no secret of her desire to find a global audience for her music. “I have big dreams,” Lira has frequently been quoted as saying – and it looks increasingly likely that this rare artist will see those begin to flourish in 2011. Her music is finally becoming available in North America for the first time via a self-titled five song EP (Lira) being released on July 19th. Her first tour dates in the US are in July, as well. A full length album, Feel Good – a compilation featuring songs from her three Sony releases in Africa will be released on January 31, 2012. Lira’s triumph at the 2009 South African Music Awards, where she won ‘Album of the Year’ and ‘Best Female Artist’ for the 2008 record, Soul In Mind, and subsequent multi-platinum sales of her second two records and her Live In Concert – A Celebration DVD (2010) were proof enough that her heady mixture of old school soul, spiced with enough contemporary twists, had connected amongst her South African audience. If comparisons are to be made, there’s a real feel of Sade’s earlier work, in Lira’s scorching, soul-filled vocals. And yet the subtle sense of her South African roots that flickers throughout the material, along with Lira’s unique vocal stylings mean there is nothing copycat about her. “It was always my feeling that I don’t want to be boxed into being a particular kind of artist,” Lira says with the quiet emphasis of someone who knows precisely what they desire. “I never want to be restrained in what sounds we include on records so there is some funk, ragga, latin, jazz, urban, traditional African sounds, and, of course, plenty of soul.”

Artist's website | Artist Videos Sunday, July 24, 2011 | Show 8pm | Upstairs Live Advance Tickets: General Admission Seating/Standing*: $13 ($10 ticket + $3 processing fee) Day of Show Tickets: General Admission Seating/Standing*: $15 ($12 ticket + $3 processing fee)