Freddie Gwala

Born in Soweto, South Africa, Freddie Gwala is a musician of zumba, a genre of African music that he invented. Gwala began his music career in 1973 when he and his brothers formed a group called Pure Gold. He later also co-founded another group known as Platform One. Musically inspired by the likes of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Gwala has also contributed to albums for artists such as Brenda Fassie. Gwala is today credited with having created the “Zumba” genre of African music, which is a fusion of soul music and disco, and which he made popular with hit songs such as his classic “Amadamara”.