Rebecca Malope

Bio

Rebecca Malope, born Batsogile Lovederia Malope in Lekazi outside Mbombela in 1968, sang hymns in church as a child and reached Johannesburg as a teenager alongside her sister Cynthia, where producer Sizwe Zakho took her on. Victory in the 1987 Shell Road to Fame competition launched her recording career, and when the gospel tracks on her early records outsold the pop, she followed them — a compact, powerhouse voice that earned her the title Queen of Gospel.

Rebecca Sings Gospel (1992) passed a million copies; Shwele Baba (1996) became the fastest-selling South African album of its time, at 100,000 units in three weeks. Across 36 albums she has sold at least 10 million records, won Best Contemporary Gospel Album at the first South African Music Awards in 1995, hosted television's It's Gospel Time from 2004 to 2019, and in 2021 received the Order of Ikhamanga from President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Verified facts

• Won the Shell Road to Fame competition in 1987, the springboard for her recording career.Wikipedia
• Has released 36 albums over more than three decades.Wikipedia
• Shwele Baba (1996) became the fastest-selling album in South Africa at the time, selling 100,000 units within three weeks.Wikipedia
• Awarded the Order of Ikhamanga by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2021.Wikipedia
• Has sold at least 10 million albums worldwide and won a South African Music Award for Best Contemporary Gospel Album in 1995.Wikipedia
• Born Batsogile Lovederia Malope on 30 June 1968; travelled to Johannesburg as a teenager with her sister Cynthia and was discovered by producer Sizwe Zakho.Wikipedia
• Rebecca Sings Gospel (1992) sold over one million copies, and her gospel songs outperforming her pop material prompted a full turn to gospel; she became known as the Queen of Gospel.Wikipedia
• Hosted the television show It's Gospel Time from 2004 to 2019.Wikipedia

Notable work

• Shwele Baba (1996)
• Umoya Wam (1994)
• Rebecca Sings Gospel (1992)

Categories

Music & Links