Celebrated South African songstress Laurika Rauch will perform at Sibaya Casino & Entertainment Kingdom’s Krakatoa on November 11 as one of the many highlights of this year’s Kwadukuza Coast’s ever-popular Umdwebo Lifestyle Festival.

This is the first time in fifteen years that Rauch will be in KwaZulu-Natal.

Rauch’s singing career was launched in 1976, with the beginning of television in South Africa. She was approached by director Stephan Bouwer to sing in the production Fyn Net van die Woord and to put some Afrikaans poems, such as the well-known Ingrid Jonker poem, Toe maar die Donker Man, to music.

Born and bred in Cape Town, Laurika lost her heart to Gauteng in the mid 70’s and has lived and worked there ever since. After matric, she studied drama at the University of Stellenbosch and spent some years teaching and acting (at PACT and as a freelance actress), before her career changed dramatically, almost overnight.

Her first solo recording was a song called Kinders van die Wind by the late Koos du Plessis. When the song hit the airwaves as the theme song of the television series TJ 9 she had an instant hit. Her debut album, Debuut, attained gold status within weeks of the release on the strength of the success of Kinders van die Wind. Since then she has produced 17 albums, started her own production company, and has embarked on various projects both nationally and internationally.

The well-known critic, Barry Ronge, once wrote in the Sunday Times, that "Laurika’s voice plays every mood and time-shift like a virtuoso".

Laurika Rauch is launching a new album in October, and this concert will feature her greatest and much loved hits, as well as material from her new album.

The concert takes place at 14h00 on November 11 at Krakatoa at Sibaya Casino & Entertainment Kingdom. Tickets R200 booked through Computicket.

More information on Umdwebo festival events through Henk Swanepoel on 032 946 0474 or e-mail info@umdwebo.co.za Full details can be found on www.umdwebo.co.za