Rebecca Malope

Batsogile Lovederia Malope known professionally as Rebecca Malope is a multi-award winning South African gospel singer. She is known as African Queen of Gospel music through out her career that has been going for 30 years, she sold at least 10 million albums in South Africa making her one of the biggest selling artists of all time. Most of her released 35 albums have achieved multi-platinum status. From 2004 till date, she has been the hostess of the TV show It's Gospel Time. In 2013 she was one of the judges in Clash of Choirs South Africa .

Her musical story started in 1984. Driven by a burning desire to become South Africa’s most celebrated and admired songstress, at the age of 18 she and her sister Cynthia left their home township of Kanyamazane, near Nelspruit, and hiked 400 km to Evaton, from where they finally reached Johannesburg. In 1985 Malope entered Shell Road to Fame together with the band she was with, they were eliminated from the first round of the competition. In 1986 she meet Sizwe Zako at Gallo Studios and Sizwe remembered her from their unsuccessful auditions, Zako felt with his guidance Malope can win the Shell Road to Fame to enter the competition as solo artist. In 1987 Malope entered Shell Road to Fame as solo artist and in that year Rebecca Malope won Shell Road to Fame in category of Female Vocalist with song Shine On which was gospel song, the song was dedicated to political unrest during Apartheid in South Africa. Despite winning Shell Road to Fame struggled to find record company, finally she was given the recording contract by MFM but she was told that gospel music does not have sales she will have to do disco in order to sell. Furthermore to compete with Brenda Fassie, Yvonne Chaka Chaka and Mercy Phakela who were biggest female artists at the time. Sizwe Zako convinced the bosses of MFM to include one gospel song in Malope debut album Sthembile Kuwe, the song was well received than pop songs in the album, the album was called Rebecca. In 1989 Malope further released two albums in one year Thank you very much and Woza Lovey both albums reached platinum status. In 1990 Malope released Buyani the title track Buyani it was dedicated to struggle hero's particularly Nelson Mandela which it was the year he was released from Roben Island prison. The album achieved double platinum status and Rebecca Malope won Best Female Vocalist at the OKTV Awards beating Brenda Fassie. In 1991 she released her final pop album Saturday Nite as tradition like previous albums she included three gospel songs in the album.

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