Rebecca Malope

Born on a tobacco farm in South Africa, Rebecca Malope began performing hymns alongside her sisters at a neighborhood church during childhood. In her teenage years she entered a gospel ensemble, an affiliation that eventually transported her to Johannesburg. Producer Zizwe Zakho soon discovered her and guided the young vocalist through an extensive range of sessions that encompassed disco, pop, love ballads, and gospel. Once her early releases gained traction across South Africa, Malope committed herself to a complete gospel album that fulfilled both her own aspirations and those of her growing audience. Its enthusiastic reception prompted her to focus exclusively on South African gospel thereafter. Her initial American release appeared in 1996; the next year she joined the EMI subsidiary Hemisphere and issued Free At Last: South African Gospel in November, promoting the project through an extensive tour.