Velile is a South African singer from Germany who collaborated with Safri Duo on the international hit single "Helele" in 2010, and released her Top Five debut album shortly thereafter. Born Velile Mchunu in 1973 in South Africa, she initially gained notice for her work in the German musicals, Der König der Löwen (The Lion King) in particular. In anticipation of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, she was recruited to sing lead vocals on the official television theme song "Helele." A collaboration with Danish percussion duo Safri Duo, best known for their 2001 international smash hit "Played-a-Live (The Bongo Song)," "Helele" is based on the 1971 song "Aieaoa" by the French-Belgian group Yamasuki. Prior to this latest version, "Aieaoa" has been covered numerous times, most notably by Belgian group Black Blood in 1975 and English pop group Bananarama in 1981. Broadcast on German television channel RTL as the official theme song of the World Cup, "Helele" reached number two on the German singles chart and number one in Switzerland, where it was also broadcast on television. In the midst of the success of "Helele," Velile made her full-length album debut with Tales from Africa. Featuring the follow-up single "Kuyabanda" as well as "Helele," Tales from Africa was a Top Five hit on the German albums chart and a Top Ten hit in Switzerland. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi
