SHARON HARRIS

Live: SHARON HARRIS  (aka The Zola Kendi Project)

Sharon Harris returns to Switzerland from New York, where she played at Carnegie Hall with the Music Educators' Creative Ensemble and performed at numerous clubs and festivals with her own band. Together in duo and with band, she presents "My Life In Film", songs from films across decades as they reflect her experiences. From sultry to sassy - she performs songs by artists such as Barbara Streisand, Sia, Nathalie Cole, Gregory Porter, Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, and others, as well as her own songs.

Sharon has lived in Europe since the 1990s, and her adopted home of Basel first discovered and appreciated her talent through a benefit concert she produced to support Ethiopia. The singer's musical roots, however, lie in the American South, in North Carolina, where she was born,  she practically absorbed soul, blues, jazz, gospel, and country music with her mother's milk.

After studying journalism, Sharon Harris moved to New York where she worked as an actress and singer and appeared in TV shows and theaters across the country. She toured America before coming to Europe for the first time with the musical "Hair". Sharon shared the stage with acts such as Phil Collins, Celine Dion, David Hasselhof, Pablo Gil, Ray Blue, DJ Jamie Lewis and DJ Minus 8 and performed in "Little Shop of Horrors" and "The Goldberg Variations" in the renowned Theater Basel. In addition to her own musical projects, Sharon Harris wrote tracks for DJ Tweak (Irma Records/Head to Toe), produced the live show "VivaDiva" and worked as a singing teacher at the Jazz School Basel and the Swiss International School as as well as founding her own singing school.

The proud mother of two sons has always taken time alongside her numerous responsibilities to write her own music and bring it into the studio. Her discography ranges from Arabella - “Shame Shame Shame” (10 weeks in Swiss Charts - 1986) to “Welcome to My Pleasure” (2000); “Spirit” (2002); “Generations” (2003); “Soul of Switzerland” (2003) to “Eclectica / Minus 8 (2005) and “Fly High”, Sony Records Tokyo (2010), “The Real” (2014), “Only You” (2021), “Cole Hearted” (2025).

..."When I first heard Zola Kendi's voice and songs, it made me think of artists like Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin." Pablo Gil, Director de @raicesjazzorchestra

..."Her live performances resonate with warmth and vibrancy, underscoring her talents as an accomplished interpreter of jazz, soul and contemporary music." Jerry James, Director of TASOC