www.goapele.com

Oakland-based singer and songwriter Goapele brings a fresh energy and perspective to R&B music. Known for her social activism and lush, soulful ballads, Goapele has gained the praise of critics and adulation of fans across the country.

Born Goapele Mohlabane in Oakland, she grew up in a socially conscious and politically active family. Her mother married South African political exile Douglas Mohlabane while studying in Nairobi, Kenya. Goapele (pronounced Gwa-pa-lay, means "to move forward" in Sitswana, a South African language) attended the Berkeley Arts Magnet School and sang in the Oakland Youth Choir. She later became part of a semi-professional music group called Vocal Motion. Upon high school graduation, she studied music theory at Berklee School of Music in Boston.

Inspired by a tradition of soulful singers like Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Bob Marley, and Miriam Makeba, as well as hip-hop, Goapele broke onto the Bay Area music scene in 2001 with her EP, Closer, and the follow-up full length album, Even Closer, released on her family-owned record company, Skyblaze Recordings.

Critics from Rolling Stone, Billboard, Essence, and Vibe hailed the songstress as an emerging artist. The title track, "Closer," notched #1's on radio playlists from San Francisco to DC. Four years after its initial release, it was #1 at the two largest urban stations in Detroit. After finishing the record, she toured North America with Spearhead.

For her latest album, Change it All, Goapele collaborated with artists like the production team Sa-Ra Creative Partners (Jill Scott, Bilal), veteran producer Linda Perry, Bay Area hip-hop producer Bedrock (E-40, the Team), and fellow soul singer Dwele.