Brenda Fassie in concert

The “Madonna of the Townships,” MaBrr, South Africa’s “Queen of Pop”—her reputation was built on a fearless self-image.

Brenda Fassie
1964–2004, b. Langa Township, South Africa
Worked in Johannesburg and globally

I’m a shocker. I like to create controversy. It’s my trademark.
—Brenda Fassie, 1998 [source]

I’m going to become the Pope next year. Nothing is impossible.
— Brenda Fassie, upon winning the Kora Award as best female artist, 1999

• A precocious and talented singer from a young age, Fassie rose to stardom with the hit single “Weekend Special” at the age of 19, propelling her next album to multiplatinum status. In the 1990s, she was affiliated with kwaito, a genre of house music that sampled African sounds.
• She was celebrated as a voice of South Africa’s disenfranchised—during and after apartheid.
• Fassie was often compared to the American pop singer Madonna for the fearlessness with which she promoted her image, but also for the controversy that followed her. Fassie struggled with drug addiction and endured turbulent relationships with men and women in the public spotlight.
• Fassie publicly came out as a lesbian in 2003.
• In addition to her music, Fassie is remembered as a pioneering fashion and style icon who died tragically young. She delighted in breaking taboos and innovating new trends.