Liesl Penniken’s current solo work should not be framed as a clean break from a musical group that no longer exists.
This story matters because South African pop history often remembers group members through the original brand while giving less attention to their individual artistic development. Penniken’s current solo work shows that a legacy artist can honour the group that introduced her while still making room for a personal voice.
Jamali—Penniken, Jacqui Carpede and Mariechan Luiters—was formed through Coca-Cola Popstars in 2003. The trio recorded and performed together for approximately 16 years before announcing the end of that chapter in 2019. They subsequently reunited for performances and, in 2026, began introducing new music after a 13-year recording hiatus.
Penniken’s solo identity therefore exists beside Jamali’s renewed activity, not only after it.
Her latest individual single, “This Is Who I Am,” was released on 15 June 2026. Recent coverage has positioned it as a song about self-discovery and taking ownership of her pace rather than trying to reproduce the urgency of a debuting artist.
The original draft claimed that the song followed an earlier Penniken single called “Fallen Pieces of a Broken Heart” and was written by Theunis Duvenhage. Neither claim could be confirmed through dependable release databases, reporting or official artist material. They should not be published without direct documentation from Penniken’s team or the recording’s formal credits.
The more accurate context is that Penniken has spent years working across pop, R&B and gospel-related spaces. Her catalogue includes collaborations with Benjamin Dube and other gospel performers, but she has previously resisted being confined to gospel simply because faith-centred projects have formed part of her work.
“This Is Who I Am” is therefore less convincing as a sudden reinvention than as a statement of artistic permission. Penniken is not attempting to erase the harmonies through which most listeners first encountered her. Nor does she need to pretend that Jamali’s history was an obstacle from which she had to escape.
The title makes room for continuity. She can remain one of Jamali’s three voices while still releasing music whose emotional and stylistic decisions belong primarily to her.
Her vocal appeal also comes from experience rather than novelty. The correct word is timbre, not “timber”: the distinctive tone and texture of a voice. Penniken’s delivery carries the control of someone who has spent more than two decades recording, harmonising and performing live.
That longevity should not be reduced to “aging gracefully,” a phrase that places unnecessary emphasis on how a woman is expected to age within public view. The more relevant achievement is artistic durability.
South African pop history frequently celebrates a group’s biggest songs while treating the individual members as permanently fixed inside the original brand. Penniken’s present work challenges that habit without declaring war on her past.
Jamali’s reunion and Penniken’s solo music can coexist. One preserves the chemistry audiences remember; the other gives an experienced vocalist room to determine what she sounds like when harmony is no longer the first requirement.
Artistic rebirth does not always begin with destroying the previous identity. Sometimes it begins when an artist decides that the previous identity was never the whole story.
Reporting basis: Based on Apple Music release information for Liesl Penniken’s “This Is Who I Am,” News24 coverage of the single, public reporting on Jamali’s 2026 return and Full Circle project, historical reporting on Jamali’s Coca-Cola Popstars origins and 2019 split, public music-platform context for Penniken’s gospel collaborations, and Viranova editorial analysis of solo identity beside group legacy.
Story index Key points, people & topics
Key points & topics
- Liesl Penniken’s “This Is Who I Am” is not a clean break from Jamali, but a solo statement unfolding beside the group’s renewed activity.
- Liesl Penniken’s “This Is Who I Am” shows how a solo identity can grow beside Jamali’s return, rather than being framed as an escape from the group’s legacy.
- Liesl Penniken’s current solo work should not be framed as a clean break from a musical group that no longer exists.
Frequently asked Answers from the desk
Who is Liesl Penniken?
Liesl Penniken is a South African singer best known as one of the three members of Jamali, alongside Jacqui Carpede and Mariechan Luiters.
What is Liesl Penniken’s latest solo single?
Her latest solo single is “This Is Who I Am,” released on 15 June 2026.
Is “This Is Who I Am” a break from Jamali?
Not necessarily. The song is better understood as Penniken’s solo statement beside Jamali’s renewed activity, rather than a clean break from the group.
Who are the members of Jamali?
Jamali consists of Jacqui Carpede, Mariechan Luiters and Liesl Penniken.
How did Jamali become known?
Jamali became known through the Coca-Cola Popstars era and went on to become one of South Africa’s major female pop and R&B groups.
Did Jamali split up?
Jamali announced the end of that chapter in 2019, but the group later reunited for performances and began introducing new music again in 2026.
What is Jamali’s 2026 project called?
Public reporting has linked Jamali’s 2026 return to a project titled Full Circle and new music including “Ohema.
” Has Liesl Penniken worked in gospel music?
Yes. Penniken has appeared on gospel-related projects and collaborations, including music connected to Benjamin Dube, but her wider identity also includes pop and R&B history through Jamali.
Why does Liesl Penniken’s solo work matter?
It matters because it shows how a member of a legacy group can continue developing an individual artistic identity without rejecting the group that shaped public memory.
How we reported this Sources, verification & accountability
- Reporting type
- News
- Verification
- Verified — multiple sources
- Reporter / responsible desk
- Viranova Music Desk
- Primary evidence
- Based on Apple Music release information for Liesl Penniken’s “This Is Who I Am,” News24 coverage of the single, public reporting on Jamali’s 2026 return and Full Circle project, historical reporting on Jamali’s Coca-Cola Popstars origins and 2019 split, public music-platform context for Penniken’s gospel collaborations, and Viranova editorial analysis of solo identity beside group legacy.
- Additional verification
- This story is based on Apple Music, News24, IOL, Daily Voice, BONA, DStv/Mzansi Magic, SABC2 and other public music and entertainment reporting. Some older sources differ on whether Jamali’s Popstars origin should be framed as 2003 or 2004, so the article avoids overloading the exact year and focuses on the verified Coca-Cola Popstars origin and later group history.
- Primary source
- news24.com
Edited under our Editorial Standards and How We Report process. Spotted an error? Open the correction form below, or email [email protected].
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Filed by Viranova Music Desk for the Music desk · South Africa. Published 20 Jul 2026.
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