Hlengiwe Mhlaba

South African singer Hlengiwe Mhlaba possesses one of the most powerful and compelling voices in the country's thriving gospel scene. Born in 1973 in KwaZulu-Natal’s KwaMashu township, Mhlaba sang with the Pongola Gospel Wagon while teaching high-school maths and science. She was spotted onstage by gospel singer and promoter Sipho Makhabane, who signed her to Amanxusa Productions, home to many gospel greats. In 2005 she released her debut album, Dwala Lami, which contains spirited and gritty gospel standards sung in English and Zulu. After several more albums, 2014's Blessings scored a South African Music Awards nod for best African contemporary gospel release. Mhlaba disrupted the country’s music industry when she sued the South Africa Music Rights Organization for unpaid royalties in 2015, and she agitated gospel’s aesthetic by adding otherworldly synthesizers to 2017's Sthandwa Sami (Moy' Ongcwele).