Scarlet whose real/full name is Jemimah Lerato Chulu is a soul, afro-jazz, modern jazz and reggae singer who was born on the 6th of July 1987 in Lusaka Zambia, to Zambian parents Wonder and Felicity Chulu. She is the firstborn in a family of seven girls. She grew up in Lusaka attending Nkhwazi Primary School and Mpelembe Secondary School up to 2002. She completed her O’ levels in 2003 and then went on to attend the University of Zambia from where she graduated in 2008 at the age of 21 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a major in Linguistics. She is a law student with a year left to complete her degree from the University of Zambia.
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Scarlet’s first experiences with music involved singing hymns with her mother as a little child. She has clear memories of the jazz music her father played in the house when she was young. Scarlet first sang in church when she was 14 but her real experiences with music began in 2010 when she took part in the reality show, The Ultimate Slinger produced by Chali Mulalami of Slingbeats in Lusaka. After the show ended she began recording at So’ Good Entertainment founded by her uncle Lukundo Siwale and family friend Chifumbe Sikazweh, as their first female recording artist.
Initially managed by Jamiel Banda, formerly known as “A Deejay Called Scratch” of Radio Phoenix Zambia, she went on to record a number of singles that enjoyed considerable airplay on local stations. It was under his stewardship that she began to perform on different platforms and formed the afro jazz, soul and oldies band called Black Note. Scarlet also began work on her first studio album containing songs written in English, French, Nyanja, Bemba, Nsenga, Zulu and Shona, which was released in 2012 titled“Unforgettably Yours.” She wrote most of the project herself but was assisted on the vernacular tracks by her producer James Sakala.
Zambian musician Scarlet has performed at various entertainment houses, private and corporate functions and media events around Lusaka. She started out as the in-house weekend entertainment at Lusaka ’s renowned Arabian Nights Restaurant at Arcades , performing on Fridays alongside two guitarists from the band E’na. She then went on to perform on her own on several occasions, and then formed the band Black Note that has accompanied her since. The band comprises Israel Kaputula on lead guitar, James Sakala on rhythm guitar, Nzovwa Chambaka on bass, Lazarus Zulu on keyboards, Eston Mwape on drums and Mwila Mutale and Suzanna Chulu on backing vocals.
