Lira_ a star in her own way

LIRA

With millions of records sold and a list full of accolades, Lira is the brightest star coming out of South Africa.  She was also crowned Glamour magazine South Africa's 2008 "Woman of the Year."  A true trendsetter, Lira was the first African artist to release a BluRay DVD and the first South African to have a video featured on VH1.  The platinum-selling megastar performed at the 2010 FIFA World Cup Kick-off and sang for Nelson Mandela at his 92nd birthday celebration.  In August 2011 she released her first American EP, Lira, which was a precurser to her upcoming sixth studio album, Rise Again, to be released exclusively in the U.S.

A star in her own right, Lira has four platinum selling albums and has shared the stage with Alicia Keys, John Legend, and Hugh Masekela. Her latest U.S. release, "Rise Again," is out now and available online. In the first part of our conversation, which took place days after the BET Awards (where she was nominated for the Best International Act: Africa award, Lira opened up about her deliberate choice to tell a different African story: growing up in apartheid South Africa and her relationship with the African Diaspora community.While she's no stranger to the big lights, her music, which she calls "Afro Soul" that speaks "the human condition," reflects an innate commitment to the tenets of equality, love, and freedom. That commitment is also reflected through the work she does with the Nelson Mandela Children's Foundation.

In part two of our conversation, below, Lira (a former accountant) recalls how she overcame her fear of failure and why she thinks it's so important to nurture your gifts.
Next time on Home, from Home: Afro-Parisian "groove theorist," Bibi Tanga. He and his band will perform at Grand Performances on July 28.