Judith Sephuma -
Jazz & Solo Musician - Johannesburg
Judith Sephuma is a South African jazz and Afro-pop
singer who shot to stardom with her debut album in
2001, the critically-acclaimed "A Cry, A Smile, A
Dance".
She was one of the celebrity contestants on the
fifth season of the SABC2 reality dance competition
Strictly Come Dancing, from September to October,
2008. Her professional dance partner was Eksteen
Traut.
Born and raised in Polokwane (formerly Pietersburg)
in South Africa's Limpopo Province, Judith knew that
she wanted to be a singer from an early age. After
matriculating at Khagiso High School, she attended
Johannesburg's legendary FUBA Academy music school
in 1993, where she received her Grade 5 Music
Diploma.
Judith Sephuma
After matriculating at Khagiso High School, she
attended Johannesburg's legendary FUBA Academy music
school in 1993, where she received her Grade 5 Music
Diploma. One of her fellow students was an ambitious
young guitarist who she knew from Polokwane, one
Selaelo Selota, a man who would play a major role in
her career. Other achievements included reaching the
finals of the Shell Road to Fame contest in 1994,
and the finals in SABC's Jam Alley Search For Talent
that year.
In 1994 she made a significant move to Cape Town to
study music at the University of Cape Town,
graduating in 1997 with a Performer's Diploma in
Jazz. Judith then gained her Honours Degree in Jazz
Performance, majoring in Jazz Singing, under the
supervision of Prof. Mike Campbell, in 1999. While
studying Jazz singing, she was also classically
trained by Virginia Davids for five years.
Judith Sephuma
During her years in the Cape, Judith's reputation as
a vocalist blossomed, and she had the opportunity to
work in bands like (fellow UCT music student)
Selaelo Selota's Taola, Meropa, UCT's Big Band, The
C-Base Collective and The Cape Symphonic Orchestra.
She also performed with Jimmy Dludlu, Loading Zone
and Ian Smith's Virtual Jazz Reality, as well as
alongside musicians such as Jack van Poll and Gerry
Spencer, and sang at many a cocktail party and
private functions.
In 1996 JUDITH SEPHUMA was invited by Spencer to
travel on the Symphony cruise ship for two months,
visiting exotic places like Bazaruto, Mauritious,
Zanzibar, Mombasa, and Reunion. Later the same year
she performed, with the band Meropa, in Nantes,
France at the Fin de Siecle Festival - her first
overseas visit 1998/1999 with the assistance of
pianist van Poll, Judith gained much experience
performing in Europe, and among her gigs was being
invited by the South African government to perform
in Holland for the Mandela's Children Trust Fund.
Judith Sephuma
Having previously entered a number of music
competitions, a pivotal moment came when Judith was
awarded first prize for Best Jazz Vocalist at the
Old Mutual Jazz Into The Future competition in June
1999 and she was signed to (then) BMG Africa’s
imprint, Giant Steps, shortly afterwards. At the
North Sea Jazz Festival in Cape Town in 2000, Judith
formed her own backing band and performed under her
own name and in 2001 she recorded her debut, A
Smile, A Cry, A Dance.
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Judith Sephuma -
Jazz & Solo Musician - Johannesburg
