Okenyo

Quick Facts

Intro

Australian musician and actress

A.K.A.

Zindzi Okenyo

Places

Australia

Musician Actor

Work field

Film, TV, Stage & Radio Music

Gender

Female

The details (from wikipedia)

Biography

Zindzi Okenyo is an Australian television and theatre actress and musician from Sydney. A graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney, she is a presenter on Play School, and performs music professionally under the stage name OKENYO. She is best known for the song "Woman's World", from her debut EP album, The Wave.

Career

Music

In 2013, Okenyo signed to the promotional label Niche Productions, and in 2016 to indie record Label Elefant Traks. Her debut musical track, "Broken Chest" was released in 2013. "Woman's World" was nominated for Best Song on FBi Radio in 2017.The song was chosen for the Women's National Basketball League 2017 Campaign, and was also used in a US Apple Instagram Promotion. Authors at the Noisey site, operated by Vice (magazine), said of the song: "There is a self-awareness and empowerment in the lyrics and a defiant resolve in the message as she identifies misrepresentation in gender and sexual stereotypes" with comparisons to artists like Erykah Badu and Janelle Monae. Okenyo and her song featured in the documentary Her Sound, Her Story" about the "inequality of women in the Australian Music Industry".

"WW 2.0" was released 1 December 2017, featuring Miss Blanks and Jesswar, and was featured in the "This Girl Can" campaign for VicHealth, where the aim of the advertisement was to "empower women".

OKENYO has played gigs with Santigold and Billie Eilish, played at Splendour In the Grass and VIVID Sydney, and recently played her first run of headline shows.

Television

An article in the Sydney Morning Herald discussed her music and acting careers, as well as the program Play School. Okenyo stated, "It's really exciting because my identity and my artistry are starting to work together... I always imagined that happening because it's really important to me to explain myself and express myself in different ways."

Okenyo's television credits include the role of Amanda in the Australian television series Sisters, journalist Millie Hussey in the television drama series The Code, and Sophie in the series Janet King.