Noella Wiyaala (known under the stage name Wiyaala) is a Ghanaian singer-songwriter. Well known for her single "Make Me Dance" and her androgynous image.
She got first singing lessons from her mother, a choir singer, and she has performed ever since she was 5 years old. Her surname, which she picked for a stage name, means "the doer" in her native Sisaala language. During her late teenage years, she played football as a midfielder. She has attended Takoradi Polytechnic on an art and design course.
She has appeared singing "Dannu" in the Sisaala language on the album "Tuma", recorded in 2009 while residing in Wa, Upper West Ghana.
In 2011 she auditioned for Ghana’s own "Stars of the Future" and earned her way into the finals, winning two Golden Moments award. She won the 2012 Vodafone ICONS Mixed Edition contest hosted by fellow Ghanaian DJ "Benny Blanco", as part of the Ghanaian band Black N Peach, while singing Tina Turner's "Simply The Best".
Wiyaala is a brand ambassador for PepsiCo in West Africa, alongside Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage, promoting Pepsi throughout Ghana as the brand looks to grab a larger share of the soft drinks market. She is also the Converse All Stars ambassador for Ghana since 2014.
Wiyaala is known to criticize the male-dominated culture and polygyny of some African countries and to stand up for women's rights and against family violence in her native Ghana. Her song "Tinambayai" in Sisaala language has been regarded as a protest against the exploitation of women in Africa. She has expressed sympathy for feminism as a mean to encourage young girls into completing their education so that they themselves can be the ones that make the choices in their lives and also declared her success would serve as an example to her community that there was a future for young women beyond an early forced marriage. "Make Me Dance" has been included in the top of feminist songs for the 2013 winter by Bitch feminist magazine.
Ref.: Wikipedia
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