South Africa is a unique country with a long and complex history. It has great richness, inhabited by multiple cultures that, on its positive side, have contributed and continue to contribute with the cultural baggage of the widest and most diverse, but that at the same time has suffered enormous tensions and injustices known to all.

Apartheid, like all oppressive systems, provoked a rebellion and a breeding ground to generate potent artistic expressions that questioned and criticized it.

Music has been a critical element of liberation and expression for South Africans and is present in their lives spontaneously almost 24 hours a day. We do not intend, of course, to cover the entire musical network that this country offers us. Still, at least to give a glimpse through these South African women, some dedicated to the struggle and activism, others to the joy and enjoyment of art, but all undoubtedly devoted to music and creation.

When we think of South Africa, we think of music, women singing, and street performers.

Above all, in Johannesburg, you breathe music. It does not matter if it is jazz, rock, traditional songs, hip hop, or contemporary dance. There is always an audience willing to fill the room. Discos, bars, restaurants, casinos. Music in Johannesburg is everywhere.

Particularly in Johannesburg casinos, you can hear rock music, so if you are a gambling fan and you go to South Africa, you already know what kind of music to expect in these places. If, on the other hand, you’re one of those who prefer to gamble right from the comfort of your own home, then you’ll want to visit casinos.co.za, your expert guide to the best online casinos in South Africa. They match you with the online casino that’s right for you and help you claim the biggest casino bonuses quickly and safely.

This platform guarantees a great mobile experience. You can download the official apps or play your favorite games in your web browser while listening to your favorite South African music on Spotify or YouTube! Returning to the big female names that have made South African music history, here is a list of the most famous female singers that should be remembered.

Letta Mbulu (1942)

Letta Mbulu is a South African jazz singer born and raised in Soweto. She is said to have one of the best voices in the world. In her teens, Letta began touring outside Africa with the musical “King Kong”, with which she spent a year in England after a successful two-year run in South Africa. When the tour ended, she returned to South Africa, but soon Apartheid policies forced her, like many of her compatriots, to trade her homeland for the United States.

She arrived in the U.S. in 1965 and quickly, in New York City, befriended these fellow South African exiles, such as Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela, and Jonas Gwangwa; all former actors in the “King Kong” musical.

Letta Mbulu returned to South Africa in 1991 after 26 years of exile. In 2001 she was honored at the South African Music Awards. However, she does not have the name and presence she deserves outside her country.

Mahotella Queens (1964)

Mahotella Queens is a South African singing group formed in 1964 by Consta Hilda Tloubatla, Nobesuthu Mbadu, and Mildred Mangxola. The group, which is still active today, is known for its mbaqanga and mgqashiyo (fast-paced dance) harmonies. They have had many hits during their nearly 50-year career that are a classic for any South African.

Miriam Makeba (1932-2008)

Miriam Makeba was an essential figure in the music of her country but also proved to be a determining influence in other parts of the world. Her music gave birth to rhythms that until then had not been very common, such as the mixture of jazz music with traditional South African rhythms. Miriam had to go into exile in other countries because of her political and social activism, as she defended equality among all people, regardless of their place of origin.

She was an icon of the struggle against Apartheid, marginalized for more than three decades by the racist South African regime; she was always committed to the battle for civil rights and against racism, which she carried out until the last moment of her life. Also known as “the mother of Africa”, she knew how to bring to the stage, like no one else, the traditions and typical costumes of her land in shows where her warm voice and presence eclipsed the traditional instruments that accompanied her.

Makeba resided in Guinea until her return to South Africa in 1990 after the release from the prison of Nelson Mandela, who later offered her participation in his government. On October 16, 1999, she was appointed Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). In fact, in 2001, she was awarded the Otto Hahn Peace Prize by the German UN Association. In 2002 she was also awarded the Polar Music Prize by the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.

Miriam Makeba died in southern Italy after a cardiac arrest following a concert against racism and the Mafia.

Simphiwe Dana (1980)

Simphiwe Dana has been the Xhosa singer in fashion for the last few years. Her repertoire based on traditional music mixed with jazz, soul, rhythm, and blues has led many to consider her the new “Miriam Makeba” and refer to her appearance as the best thing in South African music since Makeba.

Her trajectory is dizzying, and she defines her style as “African soul”: “I like soul from all eras. Also jazz, bossa nova, Cuban music…”. Dana has expressed her gratitude on more than one occasion for the work of Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel in expanding the sounds of her country. According to the singer, “many musicians would not have had the opportunity to develop a career without them”.

Passionate about fashion, she wears clothes designed by one of her three sisters and among her dreams is to record with a big orchestra, together with different female voices.

Sathima Bea Benjamin (1937-2013)

Known for her lovely, evocative voice, Sathima Bea Benjamin did most of her work as a lead singer when she joined her husband’s band, Abdullah Ibrahim, during the 1970s. Benjamin performed and recorded folk tunes and traditional African and South African music and performed several renditions of her original songs and other jazz works.

Benjamin and Ibrahim, later known as the Dollar Brands, met in South Africa in the late 1950s. After leaving their homeland and emigrating to Europe, they met Duke Ellington in Switzerland in 1962. He was in charge of sponsoring and financing the work of the two: unfortunately, Benjamin did not have the opportunity to record anything until 1996. On a few occasions, he sang with Ellington’s orchestra in Newport in 1965. His first album, recorded as lead vocalist in 1979, was a tribute to Ellington.

Benjamin played at Ekapa, BlackHawk, and Enja, accompanied by great musicians like Ricky Ford, Kenny Barron, Buster Williams, and Billy Higgins. She died in her mother city, Cape Town, aged 76, on August 20, 2013.