In the last few years Rebecca has become known as South Africa's Queen of Gospel. She is dearly loved in her home country and other parts of Africa. Now her fame is spreading around the world very fast as people hear her stunning recordings, see her on video or, better still, live on stage. Rebecca performs with her band Pure Magic and together they certainly live up to that name - their music is totally infectious. But, how did she get to this point?...
Rebecca's early life was by no means easy as she grew up in a remote part of South Africa where she had to work on a tobacco farm with her sisters, taking the chance to sing whenever they could. They didn't have a chance to get formal education and in 1986 Rebecca set off on a long journey to Johannesburg with her sister Cynthia, hoping for a better future.
While in Johannesburg Rebecca took part in a singing contest but sadly didn't win. Undeterred, Rebecca persevered until her efforts were rewarded when Sizwe Zakho, a composer and producer, wrote a song for her and she won the contest. After singing many love songs Rebecca found that gospel music was best suited to her strong personal faith in God and her beautiful voice. She went on to win several awards in South Africa. Tragiclly, she lost her father, brother and sister in 1996 but resolved to continue singing with great passion. That year she performed live at the State Theatre in Pretoria in the presence of several dignitaries.
Rebecca sings many of her own compositions and her CDs sell by the millions in South Africa. Her discography includes Free At Last, Siyabonga, Sabel Uyabizwa, The Queen of Gospel and The Village Pope ( with Tsepo in 2004) and Christmas with Rebecca and Friends. She is also a guest on the Congolese gospel singer L'Or Lemba Mbongo's CD Nsimbulu. Many people are deeply moved by her songs, for example 'Ngiyekeleni' is really awesome.
Rebecca performed in various places in Britain in 1997, at the South Bank in London in 2001 then toured USA. Her second British tour was in July 2002 and this included a performance at WOMAD Reading.
Rebecca's songs are gospel but with a difference because of the traditional Zulu influences. She sings mostly in Zulu and but sometimes in English, for example 'I'll Bide My Time'. Typically generous, she is always thankful to her fans for their support and she wants to write and produce songs for other singers. Source
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