Elaine (singer)

Ndivhuwo Elaine Mukheli was born in Pretoria on 2 April 1999. She started singing at age six and participated in the school choir and various talent competitions while growing up.[8] In 2014 she received a gold medal at the 8th World Choir Games in Riga, Latvia.[9][10] While attending high school, Mukheli began writing her own music.[11] She began studying law at University of the Witwatersrand in approximately 2018,[5] and stated in November 2019 that she was part of the university's Golden Key Honour Society.[11]

Elaine uploaded her debut single, "Slip Away" onto SoundCloud in February 2019, before officially self-releasing it in April 2019. Her follow-up single, "I Just Wanna Know" was released in August 2019. Elaine was the first South African artist to be part of Spotify's Radar artist program.[12][13] She released her debut EP, Elements, on 29 September 2019.[14] The 7-track EP was produced by Clxrity alongside Elizee from South African hip-hop duo Elizee and Malachi and was described by OkayAfrica as "a mellow blend of trap-soul and R&B with incisive explorations of adolescent love."[15] The EP was successful on streaming charts, helping Elaine clock one million accumulative streams within two weeks of its initial release.[16] She was deemed as Apple Music's New Artist Spotlight after Elements reached No. 1 on the album chart in South Africa.[17] At one point in February 2020, all seven songs from Elements simultaneously placed in the top 10 of the national Apple Music R&B/Soul songs chart.[18] The EP, spawned the single "You're The One", which also topped both iTunes and Apple Music single charts.[19] The single earned Elaine both her radio debut and first number one on the Metro FM Top 40,[20] as well as several weeks atop both the 947 Top 40,[7] and KFM Top 40.[21] Her debut music video for "You're The One" was released in early April 2020 and gained approximately 100 thousand views within 24 hours of its initial release.[22][23] As of late April 2020, Elaine continues to "dominate" South African music charts.[24] Elements was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry of South Africa in August 2020.[25][26][27] The EP was also nominated for Best R&B/Soul Album at the 26th South African Music Awards.[28] Elaine was signed to Columbia Records in August 2020.[29][30][31]