South African Kwaito star Lebo Mathosa performs.
- More on Mathosa
Tributes poured in for the queen of kwaito -- a popular style of music which combines R&B, African music, dance and funk -- from political parties and her many fans.
Mathosa shot to fame in 1994 as a member of the group Boom Shaka. She released her first solo album in 2000. She was often described as one of the most exciting female performers in South Africa and was regarded as a natural heir to South Africa's "Madonna of the Townships," Brenda Fassie, who died in 2004.
"Through her music, she will be remembered as an icon, inspirator, artist, entertainer and as part of a generation that revolutionized our music industry," the ANC Youth League said.
Local police said it appeared that Mathosa's driver lost control of their vehicle, which overturned and hit a tree near Johannesburg just after midnight. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Uganda: Remembering South Africa's Lebo Mathosa
The Monitor (Kampala)
October 22, 2006
Posted to the web October 29, 2006
Moses Serugo
In November 2004, just after pop icon Brenda Fassie's death, South African singer Lebo Mathosa told a South African newspaper: "You can't deny death, you can't fear it.
I'm sure God has a better place for us, if you're a believer". Her fans are now hoping that two years later, their star is in that tranquil abode she spoke of in that quote.
The 29-year-old star died in a car crash on Monday in Johannesburg after her driver apparently lost control of the Toyota Prado in which they were travelling. The vehicle overturned and hit a tree and Mathosa died on the spot. The driver suffered minor injuries and was treated for shock.
Many here will recall Mathosa as a character in Generations, a popular South African soap opera. She played the role of Khensani's best friend and also as an aspiring singer.
Others will remember her as an R&B and kwaito singer, whose music also incorporated elements of African rhythms, dance and funk. The music video to her 2004 hit Awu Dede was a hit on shows like WBS TV's African Rhythms and a fixture on DStv's Channel O music channel play list.
It won a Channel O award in the Best Choreography category in 2005. Her latest accolade was that of a nominee at the MOBO awards in London in the category Best African Act together with our own Chameleone.
A live wire in every sense of the word, Mathosa was known for her energetic dance moves, dyed blond hair and risqué outfits. Here performances were mesmerising. I remember watching her at the 2004 Kora All Africa Music awards at Sandton Conventional Centre in Johannesburg. Clad in white, Mathosa put on a show with three back-up dancers in tow that warranted a PG rating.
She started out in the church choir at seven with her sights set on being the lead in the choir. She later became the short-skirted teen lead vocalist and dancer of the hugely successful group Boom Shaka in the mid '90s, a group that thrived on the fusion of house, garage, hip-hop, funk and traditional rhythms and remains an icon of post apartheid South African music.
She was only 17 then. She embarked on a solo career six years later in 2000, releasing her debut album, Dream. It went gold within four weeks of its release enabling Mathosa to win Best Dance Album for Dream, Best Dance Single for Intro and Best Female Vocalist at the South African Music Awardsin 2001.
Her professional dance act, sexy look and unique sound set new standards in the local music industry. Her second album came in 2004 and was titled Drama Queen.
She experimented with different styles on this one to break out of the house and kwaito mould. She often said she sang about general issues- things people go through in life: love, pain, struggle, and happiness.
Mathosa was both loved and hated by South African artistes. On stage she may have been kittenish and flirtatious, but off stage most of her colleagues described her as stubborn and as someone who wanted things to be done her way.
Others credit that trait as the reason she soared to success at the launch of her solo career. Mathosa's electrifying live shows also saw her feature at a couple of illustrious events.
In 2001 Lebo performed at the South African edition of the North Sea Jazz Festival in Cape Town, the Celebrate South Africa concert in London's Trafalgar Square, on tour in Malaysia and Singapore and for the Malaysian queen. Back home she performed to over 16, 000 people at Nelson Mandela's 85th birthday bash, to thousands of fans on Youth Day and Heritage Day.
In 2002 Lebo performed at an Aids benefit concert in Botswana and Swaziland, for the showing of The Vagina Monologues and on tour in the United States. She also starred in a feature film called Soldiers of the Rock and also worked with Keith Sweat on his Africa Only album.
She was a regular on the cover of almost every local magazine and the society pages of South African newspapers. She won the 2001 Style Best Dressed Woman of the Year Award and was nominated by FHM Magazine as one of Africa's sexiest women.
|
Mathosa was often compared to South Africa pop diva, Brenda Fassie and was often considered her natural successor. She said it was a comparison she found flattering. "She [Brenda Fassie] inspired me to do what I do, how I do it," she told Artmatters website two years ago. "Growing up in a small town, Brenda was everything to me. It is an honour to be compared to her."
Like Fassie, she also courted controversy and was openly bisexual. On the weekend before her death she was discussing a new project with Brenda's son, Bongani who is now a music producer. Channel O will pay tribute to the departed star today at 6 p.m. local time. The show will feature her early career years and special tributes from the music industry.
No comments:
Post a Comment