Biography All Music Guide Wikipedia
All Music Guide:
"The reigning queen of modern Zulu music," Busi Mhlongo (born Victoria Busi Mhlongo) has turned the Maskanda guitar music of migrant Zulu mine workers into a worldwide phenomenon. Mhlongo's second album, Urban Zulu, produced by former Soul II Soul producer Will Mowat,spent two months in the top position of Billboard's world music charts in 1998.
A native of Inanda, a small village in the mountains of Kwazuku Natal, Mhlongo launched her musical career as vocalist in Africa Jazz and with Conjunto Juan Paulo, a Portuguese army band. After marrying South African pianist Early Mabuza, she left her homeland and made the first of many moves. After living briefly in Portugal, Mhlongo and Mabusa relocated to London in the 1970s. While there, Mhlongo recorded with other South African exiles including Dudu Pukwana, Julian Bahula, and Lucky Ranku.
Alternating her base of operations between Holland and South Africa, Mhlongo toured throughout the 1980s with her band, Twasa. Her groundbreaking performance, however, when she joined Gambia band Ifang Bondi at the African Roots Festival in Amsterdam. Her gutsy singing and dynamic stage presence led to an invitation to perform along with Salif Keita and Manu Dibango at the prestigious African Music Festival in Delft in 1989. Released by the Dutch label Munich in 1993, Mhlongo's debut album, Barbentu, was reissued internationally by Stern's two years later. Mhlongo has conducted numerous workshops in Zulu singing and dancing.
Wikipedia:
Busi Mhlongo (October 28, 1947 – June 15, 2010 ), born as Victoria Busisiwe Mhlongo, was a virtuoso singer, dancer and composer originally from Inanda in Natal, South Africa.
Biography
Drawing on various South African styles such as mbaqanga, maskanda, marabi and traditional Zulu, fused with contemporary elements from jazz, funk, rock, gospel, rap, opera, reggae and West African music she produced a fresh and exciting sound. Her infectious music and singing style have a universal appeal and her lyrics carry powerful and poignant messages. In the 1960s, she adopted the artistic name Vickie; only later did she became known by Busi Mhlongo. She was an initiated sangoma, which heavily influenced her music.
Mhlongo has worked with other top African folk / pop artists, like Hugh Masekela, Dr. Philip Tabane, Mabe Thobejane, and many legends - Robert "Doc" Mthalane making meticulously produced, melodic and modern South African music.
Her work also spaned more urban styles, with several tracks on UrbanZulu being remixed for the dancefloor.
In 2000, Busi scooped three awards at the FNB South African Music Awards for best female artist, best adult contemporary album (Africa), and best African pop album. Busi has since also scored a KORA award and MELT has released a compilation called Indiza with two new tracks produced by Brice Wassy and a series of remixes by Club 3.30.
The first South African music Benefit concert was held by South African Broadcasting Corporation to celebrate Busi's birthday and raise fund for her hospital bills, President Thabo Mbeki was one of the Honourable guests. Her album UrbanZulu was the very first time that Maskanda has been expressed by a Zulu woman commercially to an international audience.
Death
Busi had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing treatment when she died on June 15, 2010. She was with her family, who still live at Ntuzuma, just outside Kwa Mashu.
