Yvonne, Tshepo Tshola Defy Age At GIMC
Spira Tlhankane | Monday September 2, 2019 12:10
The two were headlining this year’s edition alongside South African music duo Mafikizolo at a show held at the Royal Aria Stadium over the weekend.
The multi-faceted entertainer, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, who started singing at the age of 19 in 1984, took the revellers down memory lane to when she performed one of her famous songs called Let It Go. Before she hit the stage, fans were merely trickling in, but by the time she started performing, there was plenty enough numbers to make a good crowd.
In typical line dancing, her Batswana fans broke into some steps as they started to sing along.
It is surprising to see how at ease she still is on stage, which lets her connect with the crowd.
She performed I’m In Love With A DJ, which is a song from her earliest album.
Yvonne Chaka Chaka artfully unites various genres into a sound of her own. Her music reaches everyone and brings the old and the new together.
Some sections of the crowd were too young when the Princess of Africa was the hottest artist in SA, but when she performed the song Burning Up, it reignited memories of old.
For an artist who played at the height of apartheid South Africa when freedom was but a dream, Yvonne Chaka Chaka’s infectious pop melodies reminded the crowd just how far she had come.
The crowd wanted her to perform Umqombothi, a song that made her a household name back then. “I am 54 years old. I no longer play that song,” the high-spirited music icon said, as she teased her cheering fans. She finally performed the most sought-after song and it sent spectators into cosmic oblivion.
Her rendition of Brenda Fassie’s Vulindlela proved show stopping. After she had set the bar high, it was now up to Tshepo Tshola to bring the house down.
The unrestrained passion and heart of Tshepo Tshola’s voice are absolutely otherworldly.
The man who devoted his entire life to music played a fantastic set list that included his well-known song Holokile. In a moment of improvisational genius the audience roared in response as he also danced. After that, he infectiously led the enthusiastic crowd in a sing-along for the song Shine Your Light.
Mafikizolo let loose a blistering set in the wee hours of the morning and their band was firing on all cylinders and the crowd gave every bit of that energy right back.
Though it was cold and late, there truly was no better way to poetically end the show. Local acts like Women of Jazz and Thabang Garogwe also gave their all to make the show a success.