Yovani Naidoo performs live with Carol Ofori this Heritage Month
Carol Ofori chats to Yovani Naidoo today about her innumerable musical accolades and she will give us a taste of her sounds at the East Coast Radio studios.
With Heritage Day still on our minds and hearts, Carol Ofori speaks to talented South African musician and vocalist, Yovani Naidoo.
Naidoo joins Carol in the studio today as part of our commitment to celebrate local musicians and music forms this Heritage Month.
During the month, we saw Dries Laas representing the Afrikaans side of our South African heritage. Before that, Qadasi and Maqhinga shared their passion for traditional Maskandi music.
Naidoo is a South Indian vocalist and musician who has earned a name in the SA music scene. She holds an honours degree in biological science from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and works full-time as an environmental scientist.
She has been trained in Eastern and Western music and performs in Tamil, Telugu, English, Kannada, and Hindi. Naidoo was awarded a music scholarship at Northlands Girls’ High School, where she learned to read and write music.
Her passion for music is evident in her every movement and lyric. Watch her singing below, courtesy of Facebook.
Naidoo’s debut album, Dheiveega Dharisanam (Divine Blessings), is regularly featured on local radio. She has shared the stage with some of South Africa’s most outstanding musicians and international artists, including Mr P. Unnikrishnan, Uthara, and the great granddaughters of the legendary M.S. Subbulakshmi, S. Aishwarya and S. Saundarya.
Her music has received international recognition, including representing South Africa at the World Tamil Diaspora Conference in California.
She has also received multiple awards in India, such as the Telugu Music Award 2023 from Sruthi Laya Music Academy and the Singidi Young 2023 from Hyderabad. The Ministry of External Affairs, India, recently selected her for the Familiarisation Visit of Social Media Influencers and Content Creators.
Listen to one of her videos from YouTube below.
Listen to the full interview between Carol Ofori and Yovani Naidoo below.
In addition to singing, Naidoo is proficient in playing several musical instruments such as the harmonium, sitar, violin, and keyboard.
Her passion for singing began at a young age, and she has been a regular gold medalist at the annual South African National Eisteddfods.
She has been blessed to study under six esteemed gurus: Mr Pragalathan Vadival (Carnatic music), the late Ms Mala Lutchmanan (Tamil), Dr Kanada Narahari (Sitar), Ms Rozanne Botha (Violin), Mr Ashley Kisten (rhythm), and the late Mr Beama Naidoo (harmonium & keyboard). She is also an ex-member of the KZN Youth Orchestra, where she played the violin from 2015 to 2017.
Yovani Naidoo shared some of her accolades:
- Kannadhasan Award (2016) – youngest recipient in South Africa
- 2020 International Film & Music Festival, India (2021)- selected as one of 10 global winners
- Sole representative for South Africa at the Global Tamil Concert, University of Toronto (2021)
- Selected by ABR Productions USA for a private album after competing in NRI Telugu Idol 2021
- Recognised as one of 50 Outstanding and Phenomenal Youth Globally (2022) and awarded the Olympus International Women’s Day Award by the Famram Foundation and PrincessD Menstrual Cup
- Judge for Crawford’s Got Talent 2022
- Winner of the first-ever South African Tamil Idols (2022)
- Recipient of the 2025 Amman Award by the Shree Marieamman Temple Society and community
Naidoo’s passion for music and culture doesn’t just make her a proud candidate in representing a part of South Africa’s heritage and drives her to challenge herself and remain inspiring in her craft.
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