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Johannesburg – She seemed to pop up out of nowhere, releasing her hit single Wololo, and with that certifying herself as a “national treasure.”
Today we look back at Babes Wodumo’s biggest moments for 2016.
1. Life before Babes
Remember when we had no idea who Babes Wodumo was? Gasp! Back then we were trying to figure out what the heck a Wololo is, and now we can’t get enough of her. Even some of our other local stars were mesmerised with the singer.
2. Those engagement rumours
Babes’ relationship with Big Nuz member Mampintsha has had people talking for a long time, with some even speculating that the pair are engaged. Speaking to The Juice, Babes' (then) manager, Victor Dlokolo, stated that, “Babes has been in a relationship for five years and is very happy but she is not engaged.”
3. MAMA drama
After performing her smash hit at the MAMAs in October, Babes was hit with negative comments from fans who were unsatisfied with her performance. Lucky for the singer, she had Pearl Thusi in her corner. Pearl stood up for Babes, saying, “Keep at it honey. Focus on what you love and don’t get distracted.”
4. Babes launches an anti-drug campaign
After the launch of her single, Mercedes, Babes was hit with another wave of controversy with fans claiming that the single was linked to a drug of the same name. The star’s team denied the accusations, and in the wake of the scandal launched a drug campaign urging government as well as private stake holders to lend their support.”
5. First flight
2016 was also the year that Babes Wodumo had her first flight. In a series of videos, Mampintsha shared Babes’ first time on a plane. It’s honestly the cutest thing we’ve seen.
6. YouTube scandal
The good news: Babes’s Wololo video garnered over 2 million views on YouTube. The bad news: just days after this achievement the video was removed from the site due to a copyright claim. The claim came from Mausay Media, after their artist, Wyzl, released a track called Wololo in December 2015. "The copyright claim is against the title,” Cobus Burger, MD at Mausay Media told The Juice. No need to worry though, the video, which now has over 3 million views, is back.
7. Wololo choir
How big is Wololo, you ask? Well, the song is so major that a church group recently felt the need to rework it and turn it into a gospel tune. Check it out below.
Bonus
After a massive year of highs and lows, Babes revealed on Wednesday that her album has finally hit shelves!
