Brenda Fassie was 19 when “Weekend Special” came out in 1983. It sold more than 200,000 copies and made her one of the biggest stars in South Africa.
The song, sung by a woman who is only wanted by her lover on weekends, was a bright, danceable track in the style South Africans called bubblegum, a township pop sound built on synthesisers and drum machines. A remix by a New York producer later reached Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart in the United States. In 2001, Time magazine devoted a feature to her and called her “the Madonna of the Townships”.
From Langa to Soweto
Brenda Nokuzola Fassie was born on 3 November 1964 in Langa, a township outside Cape Town. Her mother ran a small piano school and encouraged her singing, and Brenda performed for tourists as a child. As a teenager she moved to Soweto, near Johannesburg, to pursue a music career, and joined groups before forming Brenda and the Big Dudes, the band behind “Weekend Special”.
The voice and the persona
Fassie was known for her powerful voice and her fearless stage presence. She was outspoken, funny and provocative, and her private life, including relationships and struggles with drug addiction, was widely reported in the South African press. She was open about much of it.
In an era of apartheid and censorship, she was also political. Her 1989 song “Black President” was widely understood as a tribute to the jailed Nelson Mandela and was banned by the apartheid government.
Vulindlela
After a difficult period in the early 1990s, Fassie returned with a run of hits later in the decade. “Vulindlela” (1997), a joyful song about a mother’s pride at her son’s wedding, became one of the most popular songs in South African history and is still played at weddings across southern Africa. “Too Late for Mama” and “Nomakanjani” were also big hits. Her album Memeza (1997) was one of the best-selling South African albums of its time.
Death at 39
On 26 April 2004, Fassie collapsed at her home in Johannesburg. She was taken to hospital in a coma, and many leading figures, including Nelson Mandela, visited her. She died on 9 May 2004, aged 39. Her death was mourned across South Africa and the continent.
The legacy
South African pop, from kwaito to amapiano, carries echoes of her energy and her willingness to be herself on stage. Many female artists in the country cite her as an influence, and her songs are regularly covered and sampled.
She sang “Weekend Special” as a teenager about a man who only wanted her on Saturdays. South Africa ended up wanting her every day of the week.
