Sherifa Gunu

Sherifa Gunu won Traditional Artiste of the Year at the 2013 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards. She calls her mix of soul and northern Ghanaian rhythms "Africana".

Dagbon royal

She was born into a royal family in Savelugu, in the Dagbon kingdom of the Northern Region. She left school early and threw herself into dance, becoming Northern Regional champion and finishing second at the 1998 Embassy Pleasure national dance contest. At the 2003 Hiplife dance championship she again came second, behind Terry Bonchaka, with King Ayisoba also competing; the three went on to work together.

Music

Big names such as Daddy Lumba, Kojo Antwi, Sarkodie, Amakye Dede and Nana Acheampong have used her as a backing singer, and is known for energetic live shows. Her albums include African Woman, Kuuku, Akwaaba Wo Africa, Salamatu and Dagbon (Tamale); she said the 2017 single "Salamatu" was named to draw attention to African names. She played the first Zongofest at the National Theatre.

Personal

She is a Muslim and has two children.