Ms Yovani Naidoo is a 21 year old, South Indian vocalist from South Africa. She recently completed her Biological Science degree at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal and she intends on completing her honours in Immunological Sciences. Yovani has been trained in both, the Eastern and the Western genre of music and she can sing in Tamil, Telegu, English and Hindi. Music from her debut CD "Dheiveega Dharisanam" is regularly featured on South African radio stations and she has also been interviewed on television. Yovani has shared the stage with many great South African musicians and in June 2019, she performed live with international singer Mr P. Unnikrishnan and his daughter Uthara. Yovani has toured abroad to California in June 2012, when she represented South Africa at the World Tamil diaspora conference, and in India, in December 2012. Apart from singing, Yovani plays the harmonium, the sitar, the violin and the keyboard.
From a young age, Yovani has been a gold medallist at the annual South African national Eisteddfods. She is blessed to be tutored by the following six gurus, Mr Pragalathan Vadival (Carnatic music), Ms Mala Lutchmanan (Tamil), Dr Kanada Narahari (sitar), Ms Rozanne Botha (violin), Mr Ashley Kisten (studio recordings) and the late Mr Beama Naidoo (Harmonium & Keyboard). Yovani is an ex-member of the KZN Youth-Orchestra, in 2015, 2016 and 2017 she played the Violin and in November 2016, she was the recipient of the Kannadhasan Award, becoming the youngest person to earn that award in South Africa. Her Telugu song Erathiri was entered in the Lotus FM lyric writing competition in 2020 and she was placed first in the category. In February 2021, she was selected by an international panel of judges and esteemed artists as one of ten winners worldwide for the “2020 International Film & Music Festival” held in India. In 2021, she represented South Africa at a Global Tamil Concert held on behalf of the University of Toronto. After competing in the NRI Telugu Idol 2021, she was selected by ABR Productions USA for a private album. Yovani is passionate about music and culture and she aspires to challenge herself each day.
