In 1981, at the age of 16, she left Cape Town for Soweto, Johannesburg to seek her fortune as a singer. Brenda first joined the group Joy and later became the lead singer for the township pop group Brenda And The Big Dudes. She had a son, Bongani, in 1985 by a fellow Big Dudes musician. Brenda married ex-convict Nhlanhla Mbambo in 1989 but later in 1991 got divorced. It was around this time that she became addicted to cocaine and her career suffered.
With very outspoken views and frequent visits to the poorer townships of Johannesburg, as well as songs about life in the townships, she enjoyed tremendous popularity. Known best for her songs "Weekend Special" and "Too Late for Mama", she was called by Time Magazine in 2001 "The Madonna of the Townships".
In a drug-related incident in 1995 she was discovered unconscious with the body of her lover, Poppie Sihlahla, who had died of an apparent overdose. Fassie survived, underwent rehabilitation, and got her career back on track. However, she still had drug problems and returned to drug rehabilitation clinics about 30 times in her life.
Since 1996 she released several solo albums like "Now Is The Time", "Memeza" (1997, the best selling album in South Africa) or "Nomakanjani?". Most of her albums became multi-platinum sellers in South Africa.
On the morning of 26 April 2004, Brenda collapsed at her home in Buccleuch and was admitted into the Sunninghill hospital in Johannesburg. The press were told that she had suffered cardiac arrest but later reported that she had slipped into a coma brought on by an asthma attack. The post-mortem report revealed that she had taken an overdose of cocaine in the night of her collapse, and this was the cause of her coma. She stopped breathing and suffered brain damage from lack of oxygen. Brenda died at age 39 on 9 May 2004 in hospital without returning to consciousness after her life support machines were turned off. According to the South African Sunday Times and the managers of her music company, the post-mortem report also showed that she was HIV-positive. Her manager, Peter Snyman, denied this aspect of the report.
She was voted 17th in the Top 100 Great South Africans.
Source: Wikipedia
External link: Brenda Fassie: A very human hero (BBC News)
Wedding Day
Brenda Fassie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Today will be
The happiest day
The happiest day of your life
You look so lovely
Just standing there
Just count your blessings
And feel the love
May your love be blessed
Forever
Coz you look so lovely
Standing there
He's so lucky to have you as his wife
It's your wedding day
Bayakushada namhlanje
It's your wedding day
Halala
Ntombazane
Ba go nyala ka jeno
Just count your blessings
And feel in love
May your love be blessed
For ever
Coz you look so lovely
Standing there
He's so lucky to have you as his wife
It's your wedding day
It's your wedding day
Hele It's your wedding day
Ba go nyala ka jeno
It's your wedding day
It's your wedding day
Ntombazane
Bayakushada namhlanje
It's your wedding day
It's your wedding day
It's your wedding day
Ba go nyala ka jeno
Halala, halala halala halala
Bayakushada namhlanje
I do i do'' I do i do'' I do i do'' i do i do
He yeyeye It's your wedding day
Oh It's your wedding day
Ewe It's your wedding day
Bayakushada namhlanje
It's your wedding day
It's your wedding day
He It's your wedding day
Ba go nyala ka jeno
I do i do (wedding day)
Halala halala halala
Hoyoyoyo mama
Hay hay hay yho yho yho
Heyeyeyeye
Hayoyoyoyo shada namhlanje
Bayakushada, hey hey bayakushada
Hey hey bayakushada
Brenda Fassie's Wedding Day is a beautiful and celebratory track that truly captures the joy and excitement of a wedding day. The song begins with the singer congratulating the bride on the happiest day of her life and describing how beautiful she looks while standing there. The bride is complimented on her blessings and the love that she and her new husband share, and the song encourages them to feel that love and for it to be blessed forever. The song is sung in a lively and upbeat tone, as though it is meant to be danced to, which makes it a perfect choice for a wedding reception.
A particularly interesting aspect of the song is the cultural significance it holds for South Africans. The song is in Xhosa, a Bantu language that is spoken by millions of people in South Africa. The song is not only a popular wedding song in the country, but it has also become a symbol of South African pride and culture. In fact, Brenda Fassie herself was an icon of South African culture, known for blending traditional African styles with Western pop music.
Aside from its cultural significance, Wedding Day is also a powerful ode to love and marriage. The song speaks of the joy and blessings that come from sharing your life with someone that you love, and it encourages listeners to cherish that love and to keep it blessed forever. For anyone who has ever been in love or gotten married, the song is a beautiful celebration of that bond and a reminder of why it is worth fighting for.
Line by Line Meaning
Today will be
Today is the day you have been looking forward to
The happiest day
The most joyful day of your life
The happiest day of your life
A day filled with much happiness and joy for you
You look so lovely
You are breathtaking and beautiful
Just standing there
Simply being present is enough to make this moment worthwhile
He's so lucky to have you as a wife
Your partner is fortunate to have you as their spouse
Just count your blessings
Reflect on all the reasons to be grateful and happy
And feel the love
Embrace the love that surrounds you on this day
May your love be blessed
May your relationship be full of blessings
Forever
For eternity
It's your wedding day
Today is the day you get married
Bayakushada namhlanje
Congratulations on your wedding day
Ntombazane
Young lady
Ba go nyala ka jeno
Your husband is lucky to have you
I do i do'' I do i do'' I do i do'' i do i do
The commitment you are making to each other in marriage
Halala halala halala
Celebratory cheers
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BASIL POLEDOURIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kesentseng Qonyevu Miss Kay
on Matshidiso
I loved Brenda Ma B with all my heart i still do nd forever will. Rest in eternal peace Queen of Pop
Lionel Mbayiwa
on Undikolota Malini
This song reminded me when I was still young and living in Zimbabwe,it painted an imagery picture of how South Africa looked like then I could see people dancing and very happy.
Since I had never set my foot in SA then and didnt understand what it means but there was a feeling within.
Now I'm listening to it and I'm residing in SA the song is taking me back home when I was young and living in an imaginary world.
Ngwanona song.i love it.
Ayanda Ndaba
on Kuyoze Kuyovalwa
zimbi iindaba...kuyoze kuyo closwa...iuyithululele iduku le iNGOMA...Hey he he he hey hola hops...hay' suuka
Nomacala Scaca Mpunzi
on Mama
why we don't get the track stay away(from my man) by brenda fassie?