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SPEAKER_04: Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica. We're celebrating Pride Month with icons, supreme queens of queer culture. Some are household names, others a little more behind the scenes. All have defied social norms and influenced generations of people to be unapologetically themselves. She had a fiery spirit and her fair share of controversies in the press. But that didn't happen. But that didn't stop her from capturing the hearts of audiences around the globe. Please welcome Brenda Fosse. Brenda Fosse was born on November 3rd, 1964, in Langa, a black township outside Cape Town. Music influenced her life from birth. She was named after the country singer, Brenda Lee. Brenda's mother was a pianist, and soon, Brenda was singing while her mom accompanied on keys. By the time Brenda turned five, tourists were paying to watch her sing. She sang in local churches and hospitals and was known around the township for her musical gifts. Still just a kid, Brenda started her own band called The Tiny Tots. Brenda's musical talent caught the attention of music producer, Koloi Labona. After hearing Brenda sing, he called her the voice of the future. Koloi invited Brenda to live with him in the Soweto Township, where she could finish school and start her professional music career. The way Brenda tells it, she hitchhiked on a gasoline truck to get there. Others say she simply got into Koloi's car with her mother's permission. Either way, Brenda's music career kicked off. At first, she landed gigs filling in for singers of other musical groups and had solo acts alongside better-known musicians. She then became the lead singer of her own group, Brenda and the Big Dudes. Brenda's big break came in 1983, when the group recorded and released their single, Weekend Special. It was a hit. Practically everyone in townships across South Africa knew the words. The song inspired a new genre of music known as bubblegum music, because it's stuck in your head like bubblegum. Brenda and the Big Dudes toured throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, and Brazil. At just 19 years old, Brenda was an international pop star. With her star on the rise, Brenda left the Big Dudes behind and launched her solo career. The Dudes named their next album, Hamba Uzubaya, meaning, yeah, go, but you'll come back. But Brenda never did. She was doing just fine on her own. Her first solo album, Too Late for Mama, achieved platinum status in 1989. Around this time, she gave birth to her son. In 1990, Brenda released the song, Black President, in tribute to South African president Nelson Mandela. She offered her fur to herself as his niece. The song described Mandela's brutal arrest and incarceration and praised his fight for freedom for black South Africans. It was banned by the apartheid government. Soon after, to show her pride of being African, Brenda announced to the world she would no longer sing songs in English. From then on, all her songs were in Zulu, Xhosa, and Sotho. As her career progressed, Brenda struggled with cocaine addiction. Her increasingly erratic behavior earned negative attention in the public eye. She was a young woman who had a lot of friends and had a lot of attention in the public eye. She fired managers, bailed on her own concerts, and was once fined for assaulting a journalist. She blew her money on expensive cars, houses, and parties. Her son was expelled from his school because Brenda was so deep in debt she couldn't pay the tuition fees. Media coverage focused on her drug use, financial issues, and rumored bisexuality. In 1995, Brenda hit rock bottom. She was found unconscious in a hotel room in Johannesburg, beside the body of her then girlfriend, who had died of an overdose. This incident inspired Brenda to check into a rehab, which she would drift in and out of for the remainder of her career. In the late 90s, Brenda released the album Mimesa. It went platinum on the first day of its release and became the best-selling album in Africa in 1998. A period of success followed, and for four consecutive years, Brenda won a South African Music Award. On April 26th, 2004, Brenda was rushed to a hospital in Johannesburg. Family members said she was suffering from a bad asthma attack. Post-mortem reports indicated she overdosed on cocaine. When Brenda arrived at the hospital, doctors placed her on life support. Nelson Mandela visited her while she was in a coma. Her longtime partner, Gloria Shaka, stayed by her bedside. On May 9th, Brenda passed away. She was 39 years old. All month, we're talking about icons. For more information, check us out on Facebook and Instagram at Womanica Podcast. Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. Talk to you tomorrow.
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