Franja du Plessis (born January 2, 1994, Age: 30 years old) is a South African singer, songwriter, and actress who is best known as the daughter of Juanita du Plessis, the famous Afrikaans country singer.Â
Franja’s mother has always got the light shining on her career. But more than that, she has achieved a lot in the family sphere, being a mother of three children named Ruan du Plessis, Franja du Plessis, and Mario du Plessis. Among the country singer’s children, Franja is arguably the most known.
Currently 30 years old, Franja has also followed in the footsteps of her mother as an entertainer. She is a singer and actress whose career began fully in 2016, although before then, she was already known through her mother’s fame and due to some minor projects she had taken part in.
Summary of Franja du Plessis’ Biography
- Full name: Franja du Plessis
- Gender: Female
- Date of birth: January 2, 1994
- Place of Birth: Windhoek, Namibia
- Franja du Plessis’s Age: 30 years old
- Ethnicity: White
- Nationality: South African
- Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Marital Status: Unmarried
- Franja du Plessis’s Parents: Juanita du Plessis and Herman du Plessis
- Siblings: Ruan du Plessis and Mario du Plessis
- Education: Berkeley University of California
- Career: Musician and actress
- Famous for: Being the daughter of Juanita du Plessis, the famous Afrikaans country singer
- Franja du Plessis’s Instagram: franjadp
- Twitter: @Franjadp
Birth and Early Life of Franja du Plessis
It was on January 2, 1994, that Franja du Plessis was born in Windhoek, Namibia to her parents, Juanita du Plessis and Herman du Plessis. However, it was mostly in South Africa that she was brought up alongside her siblings. As stated, her mother is a famous musician.
For her education, the singer attended her primary school at Gobabis, and later went to Hoërskool Die Wilgers. After that, she proceeded to Berkeley University of California. A Berkeley, she studied music and production.
She has always had a knack for music since she was in school and also loved sports including softball and netball.
She Followed In The Footsteps of Her Mother
Franja is from a line of very talented people and is expected to make a career as an entertainment and musician. Apart from her mother who has emerged as one of the biggest musical voices in South Africa, her uncle Pieter Naudé is also a musical artist.
Growing up in a musical family is what influenced Franja who at a young age had a knack for music. She revealed that those close to her were also her inspiration behind pursuing a career as a musician, and God also influenced her decision.
She started writing music when she was in high school; it was there that the bug bit her more than ever. When she was 18, in 2013, she appeared in the film, As Jy Sing, and after that, she came to the conclusion that music was all she wanted to do. She was either going to sing or be a songwriter, something she has been doing for a long time. Her dreams came true in 2016 when she was 22 years old with the release of her first album, My Verhaal which became a huge success.
In total, Franja has released the following albums:
- My Verhaal (2016)
- Kaalvoetkinners with Juanita du Plessis and Ruan Josh (2017)
- Hittegolf (2018)
Establishing herself after the successes of her mother, Franja has gained much recognition for her talent. Thanks to this, she carted home some awards, including two Ghoema Awards which she won in 2017; New Artist of the Year and also Female Artist of the Year. Most recently, she announced that she joined the Co-Production events and talents management.
Meet Franja’s Two Brothers
She has two brothers; Ruan du Plessis and Mario du Plessis.
Ruan du Plessis
Known as Ruan Josh du Plessis, he is the oldest amongst the children of the famous singer. Although his actual date of birth is not known, there were reports in 2021 that he was 30 years old at the time, which indicates he was probably born in 1991.
Unsurprisingly, Ruan is also a singer like his mother and sister. The three have teamed up more than once in the music business.
Mario du Plessis
Mario is the least known among the three siblings, mostly because he has chosen a different path from music. He was born a twin with Franja on January 2, 1994, in Windhoek, Namibia. This means he is currently 30 years old.
Often described as the other brother, he has continued to maintain a very private life, so much that nothing is available about him in the private domain. What is even more interesting about Mario is that he doesn’t seem to have a presence on social media.
She Has Collaborated With Her Famous Mother And Brother
Juanita du Plessis’s achievement in the music industry is very broad. Beyond the great music she has always delivered, she has successfully led her children on the same path which is why Franja and her brother, Juan are also progressing in the music business. Mario is the only one who is not in the business.
The family has a production company, Juanita Records, which is managed by Juan. Although Juanita is more famous than her children, they are gradually stepping away from her shadows and making names for themselves. The three worked together on Kaalvoetkinners, an album that they released in 2017.
In terms of fame, Juanita du Plessis is more famous than both her children combined. She was born on 26 April 1972 and in 1998, she started her career as a musician. That was the year she released her self-titled debut album, Juanita. It became an instant hit, recording her as a big name in the industry. The album also won several awards, including the CMA Awards for Best singer.
Today, she is respected as one of the most successful Afrikaans artists of all time. In 2012, she made history when she sold over 2 million albums in South Africa, becoming the first Afrikaans to ever achieve the feat. Today, she has sold close to 3 million albums and released more than 20 albums.
Franja Du Plessis Came Close To Marrying Willie Engelbrecht
On the personal front, Franja Du Plessis once came close to walking down the aisle with her former boyfriend, Willie Engelbrecht. The two started their relationship when they were in high school. It was revealed that the rugby star first sighted Franja at Die Wilgers High School, Pretoria while sitting with his father. He stated that he turned and told his father that it was his wife that was walking.
He subsequently connected with her on Facebook and they started chatting. They both agreed that it was love at first sight, but even at that, Franja was still not initially interested. However, he treated her nice and when he asked her to become his girlfriend in 2011, she agreed. They dated for 6 years before they were engaged in 2017. The two took to their Instagram to make an announcement of the engagement.
Unfortunately, there was no marriage for them as they called off the engagement only a year later in March 2018. The relationship did not later work out as they parted ways. Currently, it is not known if she has started any other relationship. She currently lives in Pretoria, where she continues to pursue her musical career while acting on the side.
