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Shekhinah Donell was discovered in South Africa through the popular singing talent show Idols SA. She was a teenager with a passion for singing at the time. She did not, however, advance far in the competition. This is because she made it to the top six after returning in 2012 following her failed audition in 2011.
She would become a household name in 2016 when she was featured on the hit single Take It To The Beach. Following that, she was a full-fledged superstar, working with the likes of Black Coffee and releasing her critically acclaimed debut album Rose Gold in 2017.
Throughout this time, fans and the general public had always known Shekhinah as Skhekhinah. Hence the surprise when her “real name” was shared.
Shekkhinah’s “real name” shocks social media
On Twitter and Instagram, there is a popular account which is touted for celebrating beautiful women in the entertainment and influencing industries. One of the latest posts was dedicated to Shekhinah. As such, the account shared their post with the caption that shared Shekhinah’s middle name Thandi.
thandi donnell pic.twitter.com/9kpOmQ2PVF
— pronounced (fron•2) (@frwontou) March 31, 2023
Not long after the post was shared, it started to garner traction. Primarily, it was due to the fact that the public had always assumed that Shekhinah was Shekhinah’s only name. Therefore, the surprise of her middle name was something that social media could not get over.
uyena
— pronounced (fron•2) (@frwontou) March 31, 2023
it is
— pronounced (fron•2) (@frwontou) March 31, 2023
https://twitter.com/Nhlxxxx/status/1642038563091935232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1642038563091935232%7Ctwgr%5Eb7156b723d882606fe68975affb4e6166aa043f6%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fzalebs.com%2Ftop-of-the%2Fshekhinah%2Fshekhinah-s-real-name-shocks-social-media
She was adopted by a white family,she’s actually Zulu
— 𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐈𝐍’𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐘 (@aandiswa_l) March 31, 2023
Having grown up in a household that is different from your average black child, we can only imagine the many challenges Shekhinah had to face in school and in the real world as an adult.
During the interview, Shekhinah opened up about being abandoned at birth, being raised by a white family and how she never felt as though she was an outcast during her child hood. The only time she did experience a bit of frustration was during her early years in high school and during her adult life after varsity.
“I had so much love at home, the love that I have experienced is unreal, it’s organic, it’s natural. It’s the reason why I love everybody. When leaving home, I was always so charged up with that love and respect that whenever I was disrespected for not speaking isiZulu or not having a good weave or not knowing what to do with my hair because my parents are white and not doing phondo’s on my hair before I sleep. That used to bother me and I got upset but then I quickly moved on and by the time I was in grade 11 I had done Idols and then everybody wanted to be my friend.”