īoth of her parents inspired Goapele to become very involved in community affairs at a young age.

Goapele and her older brother DJ Namane Mohlabane were raised in a South African exile community in California. Noa attended Friends World College and was studying in Nairobi, Kenya, where she met and married Douglas. Goapele's New York-born Israeli Jewish mother Noa had been attending protests since the age of 12.

Goapele's South African father Douglas Mohlabane was an exiled political activist who struggled against the Apartheid System. Her name means to move forward in Setswana, a Southern African language. Goapele Mohlabane ( / ˈ ɡ w ɑː p ə l eɪ/ born July 11, 1977), is an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter.