Brenda Fassie Honoured in Joburg and New York City’s Times Square

Brenda Fassie has been honoured with an electronic billboard in New York City’s famous Times Square, highlighting her far-reaching impact not just as a South African icon but as a global cultural force.

The billboard was placed by Spotify’s global LGBTQIA+ initiative, GLOW, to celebrate what would have been the 61st birthday of the legendary queer singer and songwriter, known as the Queen of African Pop.

In Johannesburg, Spotify GLOW also commemorated her indomitable spirit with a vibrant tribute and two panel discussions at the Market Theatre on Tuesday, not as a figure frozen in nostalgia, but as a living cultural force whose influence continues to shape music, queerness, and South African identity.

The evening opened with a striking photo exhibition of Brenda through the decades: rebellious, glamorous, tender, and defiantly herself. Curated by Maria McCloy, the exhibition included rare photos, performance footage, personal memorabilia, and iconic moments from her trailblazing career.

McCloy reflected, “It was an honour to be asked by Spotify GLOW to curate this event and involve so many key musicians, producers, DJs, journalists, photographers, friends and family in memorialising her, whilst also making sure the new generation learnt about Brenda Fassie too.”

She added, “She gave us so much, not only an album nearly every year from 1983 til 2004 and countless hits, but she also inspired black people, women and queer people with her immense talent and beautiful boldness both during apartheid and freedom.

“She was at the forefront of so many movements: from bubblegum to kwaito and Afro-pop. She was friendly to everyone despite her mega fame. We often saw her out and about partying, and she was hilarious. Everything got a lot more boring on Joburg’s streets the day she died in 2004. I wish she was here to celebrate her 61st year on earth.”

In a first panel discussion, The Enduring Legacy of Brenda Fassie: Why Mabrr Lives, journalist and filmmaker Charl Blignaut reminded the audience of Brenda’s sheer power and presence. “You don’t interview Brenda, you experience Brenda,” he said, recalling her unshakable self-awareness.

“She would say, ‘Whose face is selling your newspaper? It’s my face… that’s who you work for.’” Blignaut later added that Brenda was “breaking binaries long before it was fashionable… she defied what it meant to be a man or a woman, good or bad, and she paid a price for that.”

UJ lecturer Dr Mbali Mazibuko explored Brenda’s impact as a cultural blueprint for self-expression, especially for Black girls and queer communities. “To encounter Brenda is to encounter possibility, confidence, audacity, and the permission to exist outside the script,” she said.

She emphasised Brenda’s revolutionary presence: “She was a shapeshifter… offering ways for Black women and queer people to live in the world loudly and on their own terms.”

A short documentary, The Impact of Brenda Fassie, premiered on Spotify’s YouTube channel as part of the tribute. The 10-minute film features artists such as Langa Mavuso, Zoë Modiga, Muneyi, and Nanette, reflecting on Brenda’s influence and unapologetic presence. It felt like a baton being passed across generations, with Brenda not as history, but as inheritance.

The second panel, Brenda Fassie Remembered, brought the memories closer to home. Hosted by Moozlie, it reunited those who lived, worked, and loved alongside Brenda, Blondie Makhene, David Mabaso, Chicco Twala, Melvyn Matthews (who penned Weekend Special), and Yvonne Chaka Chaka, a close friend to Brenda.

Chaka Chaka’s recollections revealed a tender, human Brenda: “She was giving. When Brenda had money, she would just give. I loved her as a sister.” She later spoke of protecting Brenda’s dignity: “I was the last person allowed to see Brenda when she passed away… I looked after her without the press knowing.”

Phiona Okumu, Head of Music at Spotify Sub-Saharan Africa, said, “Brenda Fassie was more than a performer, she was a revolution. Through her voice and her truth, she shattered boundaries with her remarkable authenticity. With GLOW we honour her for who and what she was.”

The night culminated in joyous celebration. When the DJ dropped Brenda’s classics, the audience erupted, singing, dancing, ululating, as if Brenda herself had stepped back onto the stage.

To close the night, her son Bongani Fassie took to the stage. He expressed deep gratitude: “My mother always said, ‘I’m nothing without you.’ Without you, there is no legacy.” With emotion swelling, he added, “My favourite thing about my mother? My mother loved me. She was my shoulder to lean on, and I miss her every day.”

In a country still learning how to hold women and queer brilliance without breaking it, the night made one truth clear: Brenda Fassie is not gone, she remains a pulse in our culture, our courage, and our sound.