Finding my voice

Music carried me through the most memorable moments of my life. Now, I finally carried music onto the stage where I always belonged

- Busi Lethole

For as long as I can remember, I've been in love with music. I've carried it and moved with it in every facet of my life. Music has always made its presence known to me.

Hearing certain songs takes me down memory lane to a specific time in my life — birthday parties to funerals, road trips, a Sunday service at church — and even just the time teenage me spent in my celebrity-poster-filled bedroom, eagerly learning the choreography from a favourite artist’s video seen on MTV, back when it was actually about music.

Naturally, my love for music piqued an interest in singing. The first time I was captivated by the concept of “singing” I must have been around the age of five or six. My mom had just purchased the much-anticipated video cassette of South African gospel singer Rebecca Malope’s Live at The State Theatre 1996 concert.

The release marked a historic moment in South Africa’s music industry as Malope, dubbed the Queen of Gospel, was the first black musician invited to perform at the State Theatre, just two years into the new democratic South Africa.

It was sold out and in attendance were various ministers and high-ranking officials of the newly elected government of the ANC. The concert was co-produced by Hugh Masekela, who also made a special appearance. Little me would play that video cassette of Malope for hours on end, repeating the lyrics and learning the choreography of the energy-filled dance moves.

The Queen of Gospel isn’t your average singer. She is a performer in every sense and her performance during the concert was exquisite.

But one moment that stood out for me was when she performed the hit Umoya Wam, where she and fellow gospel artist Vuyo Mokoena (who died in 2008) jumped high into the air repeatedly before dancing around in a circle. The audience erupted.

To this day, I occasionally watch the video on YouTube to get that nostalgic feeling.