Things You Should Know About Busi Mhlongo
ABOUT BUSI MHLONGO
Apparently from Inanda in Natal, South Africa, Busi Mhlongo was a singer, dancer, and songwriter. Her birth name was Victoria Busisiwe Mhlongo. Mhlongo blended modern elements from jazz, funk, rock, gospel, rap, opera, reggae, and West African music with a variety of South African musical traditions, including Mbaqanga, Maskanda, Marabi, and traditional Zulu music. Her songs are filled with meaningful meanings, and she performed with abandon, even going without shoes at times.
BUSI MHLONGO’S CAREER
She began using the creative name Vickie in the 1960s. Busi Mhlongo was only later used to refer to her. Her background as an introduced sangoma had a big impact on the way she sang.
Mhlongo moved to London in the 1970s, where he later recorded with South African artists who were in exile, including Julian Bahula and Dudu Pukwana. By the 1980s, she had been performing around the world and sharing the stage with other amazing/famous performers like Salif Keita. Her debut album, Barbentu, was released in 1993. By the early 1990s, she had started publishing her own solo works. She joined a return tour of Hugh Masekela a year later. Mhlongo won three South African Music Awards and received a Grammy nomination.
Hugh Masekela and Mhlongo performed together at the London Africa ’95 festival in 1995. Her monitoring album, Urban Zulu, was published in 1998. It went on to become a global hit and apparently spent several months on the Billboard World Music lists. Before passing away in June 2010 from cancer of the breast, she went on to release a few more albums, including Freedom (2003) and Amakholwa. Even though she is no longer physically present, choreographer Somizi Mhlongo has managed to preserve her vibrant performing style. Her music represents the fight for freedom in South Africa. She can sing softly to a loud roar, displaying her amazing voice variety. Mhlongo was expelled as a result of her strong musical advocacy against discrimination; as a result, she now resides and works in the UK, North America, and the Netherlands. Six solo albums were sold by Busi. She later earned the nickname “Mam’Busi” during her career. She was encouraged to play the drums when she joined the Durban musical King Kong as a young person. Her choice to form her band, Twasa, was spurred by her inventiveness. Princess Magogo was the main influence on her achievement style, but Dorothy Masuka and Miriam Makeba also played a part.
BUSI MHLONGO’S LIFE
Mhlongo grew up in the alpine village of Ohlange in a family with a strong musical tradition. She later gave birth to a daughter with musician Early Mabuza. Mhlongo’s exile prevented her from raising her daughter or going to her husband’s funeral, as he had been murdered.
BUSI MHLONGO’S ALBUM
Her albums are as follow:
- Babhemu 1993
- Urban Zulu 1999
- Indiza – Voyages Through New Sounds 2000
- Freedom 2003
- We Baba Omncane 2009
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