Who is Wiyaala? Wiyaala, nicknamed the lioness of Africa, is an Afro Folk/Pop singer, songwriter, humanitarian, and actress based in Funsi in the Upper West Region of Ghana. She is a Ghanaian and a former member of Black N Peach, a music group that won the Vodafone Icons Mixed edition in 2012. She sings in her native languages, Sissala and Waala, and also sings in English. Noella has popular songs like Yaga Yaga and “Rock My Body,” featuring Jupitar.
Profile Summary of Wiyaala
Real name: Noella Wiyaala
Date of Birth: December 22, 1986.
Age: 37 years old
Occupation: Singer, Songwriter, Actress
Genre: Afropop
Nationality: Ghanaian
Hometown: Funsi, Upper West Region, Ghana
Tribe: Sissala
Instagram: @wiyaala
Facebook: Wiyaala
Twitter: @wiyaala
Early life
Noella Wiyaala was born on December 22, 1986, in Wa in the Upper West Region of Northern Ghana. She grew up in Funsi in the Wa East District and Tumu in the Sissala East District in the Upper West Region. She is 37 years old, and the second of four children. Noella comes from Funsi.
Siblings
Wiyaala has three siblings (sisters) from the same parents. However, she also has stepsiblings because her father had other wives apart from her mum.
Educational Background
Noella had her basic and junior high school education at Ahmadiyya in Tumu and Children of Mary School in Funsi. She proceeded to Kanton Senior High School in Tumu, Upper West Region, where she did Visual Arts. She furthered to the Takoradi Technical University, formerly Takoradi Polytechnic, for her Tertiary education.
Personal life
She is married. She got married in a private court wedding in 2014.
Husband
Wiyaala’s Husband is her current Manager John Sherren. He is British.
Read also: Kofi Kinaata Biography, real name and net worth
Music Career
Wiyaala (the doer) started singing at age five in a local Church in the Upper West Region of Ghana. She got her first music lessons from her mum, who was a Chorister. She used to entertain her family at home, and in her basic School, Ahmadiyya in Tumu, she sang songs of Celine Dion to entertain her mates and continued even when she went to Children of Mary School in Funsi.
In Wiyaala’s teenage years at Kanton Senior High School, she became an athlete, a footballer, a dancer, and a singer. She performed during entertainment programs and chose her surname Wiyaala as her stage name. After SHS, she became an active singer and started recording her songs at the Echo Sounds Studios in Wa.
In 2009, she released her debut album, “Tuma,” meaning Work which she recorded in the studios of Echo Sounds Studios, and songs on the albums got her recognized in the Northern part of Ghana. However, seeking to become known in all the regions in Ghana, she journeyed to the Greater Accra Region and participated in a few music reality shows in Accra.
In 2011, Noella participated in Stars of the Future in Accra and emerged as a finalist. In 2012, she formed a group called Black N Peach with two others, Noble Nii Nortey and Emma Orleans-Lindsay, and they participated in the Vodafone Ghana Icons Mixed edition 2012 edition. Her group won the competition.
After winning the Icons, the Black N Peach group released a single titled “Wonkoa (You Alone).” Not long after releasing this single, in April 2013, Noella left the band to begin a solo career under the record label Djimba World Records. Noella’s first release was Make Me Dance and later Rock My Body.
These two songs shot her to fame, and in 2014 she was discovered by Rita Ray of BBC’s Global Beats. The same year, Wiyaala won two awards at the All Africa Music Awards, and in November 2014, she dropped her second career album, “Wiyaala.” She got many nominations with songs on this Album and won some of them.
Subsequently, Noella released other singles, and in December 2018, she dropped her third album, “Sissala Goddess.” Wiyaala is now one of the musicians in Ghana recognized globally. She has performed at prestigious events and festivals, especially in Europe. She has also been interviewed on the BBC and other big platforms and has attracted international reporters to her Village, Funsi.
Record Label
She is signed to Djimba Record label, JTV Digital.
External Play (EP)
• Make Me Dance Remixes (December 9, 2013)
Albums
• Tuma (2009)
• Wiyaala (November 24, 2014).
• Sissala Goddess (December 8, 2018)
Songs
• Rock My Body
• The Sun God
• Money and Fame
• Yaga Yaga
• Africa
• Peace
• Go Go Blackstars
• Pogsunn (Good Woman)
• Valla (Walking)
• She’s A Woman
• Woyaya (We Are Going)
• Tinambayi (Here We Come)
• Did You Really Mean It
• Sun & Moon
• You Got the Power
• Siiko (Come, Let’s Go)
• When the Lord Gets Us Ready
• Kandibanye (Had I Known)
• I Moved On (Mr Playboy)
• Wiisi (Not Too Much, Not Too Little)
• For Your Love
• I Believe in Africa ft. Queci
• Coming With Fire
• Rock and Sand
• Satellite Baby
• My Life
• The Captain’s Lament
• Feeling Free ft. Kesse
• Arijanah
• Leno (This Place)
• Make Me Dance
• My Man (Mr Right)
• I Don’t Know
• Idunne (You Alone)
Awards
• Revelation of 2014 – GH One TV Showbiz Honours 2014.
• Music Ambassador for the Upper West – Radio Progress Upper West Music Awards 2014.
• Female Personality of the Year – Sissala Prestige Awards 2014.
• Youth Achievers Award – National Youth Authority Ghana (2014).
• Revelation of the African Continent – All Africa Music Awards 2014.
• Most Promising Artiste in Africa – All Africa Music Awards 2014.
• Songwriter of the Year – Vodafone Ghana Music Awards 2015.
• Best Female Vocal Performance – Vodafone Ghana Music Awards 2015.
• Best Individual Style – Glitz Style Awards 2015.
• Young And Gifted – Ghana Women Awards Honours 2017.
• Artiste of the Year – Ghana Arts & Culture Awards 2019.
• International Touring Artiste of the Year – Ghana Music Awards UK 2019.
• Woman of the Decade – Women’s Choice Awards 2020.
• Alternative Song of the Year – Ghana Music Awards UK 2021.
• Laureate of the Cité International des Arts 2021 – Institut Francais Paris France.
• Ghanaian Traditional/Cultural Act of the Year – Ghana Music Awards UK 2021.
• Honorary Award – Upper West Music Awards 2022.
• Northern Act of the Year – Upper East Music Awards 2022.
• Citation of Merit Awarded in 2022 by Venessa L Gibson, President of The Bronx Borough.
Philanthropy
Noella has built an Arts and Culture Centre in Funsi to help discover, groom, and sponsor young talents. She has made several donations in her community, that include giving out books to students in the various schools in Funsi and Tumu, where she grew up.
House
Noella owns a house in her hometown, Funsi.
Cars
On February 4, 2018, the Lioness of Africa flaunted a brand new Bentley on her official Twitter page with the caption “My New Ride.” Apart from this car she uses outside Ghana, She has other cars in Ghana.
Net worth
She has an estimated net worth of $3 million. However, she keeps her life simple and does not live a flashy lifestyle.
FAQs about Wiyaala
• Where is Noella Wiyaala from?
She comes from Funsi in the Upper West Region of Ghana.
• did Wiyaala attend KNUST?
She did not attend KNUST.
• Who sings this song we are going?
The song was originally sung by the Osibisa Band in Ghana, but Wiyaala also did a version.
• Is Wiyaala a Ghanaian?
Yes, She is a Ghanaian.
• What tribe is Wiyaala?
She belongs to the Sissala tribe in Ghana.
• How old is Wiyaala?
She is 37 years old now.
• Wiyaala from what country?
Ghana.