Johannesburg- South African songstress, Lerato Molapo, best known to her fans as Lira has been chosen from a shortlist of African musicians to perform at an inauguration ball for American president Barack Obama on January 21.
An ecstatic Lira said in Pretoria on Wednesday "I'm very excited. I got the invite about three weeks ago. The president will be present during my performance and I hope I get to meet him."
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During the inauguration taking place in Washington , Lira will perform two sets for about 200 people at the African-themed ball -one of the 10 official balls.
Lira’s husband and manager Robin Kohl confirmed in an interview with City Press that Lira had landed the prestigious gig, which he described as “massive”.
“We have been plugging away at the US market for three years now. We have an independent distributor and a publicist in Los Angeles. We have been there about three months of every year and people are now getting to know who she is.”
He added: “This is an amazing opportunity. The ball will be televised by networks from all over the world. The exposure is massive. How many people can say that they have performed live for an African-American US president?
“We are ecstatic about this. We have really worked hard at breaking into the US market and now it seems to be paying off at last” said Kohl.
Lira and her band are expected to leave on January 19. Meanwhile family, friends, fellow musicians and fans keep sending in their congratulatory messages to the singer via twitter , facebook and other social media networks.
