Mahotella Queens are soon to represent South Africa at the World Music Festival in Hokkaido, Japan.

The show, which will host over 30,000 attendees between August 5 and 11, was sponsored in part by the South African Music Performance Rights Association (Sampra).

They're the only South African artists invited and the first from the country to perform at the event. 

“There emazweni people call our music 'indestructible beat'. We looking forward to flying the South African flag high. We know we'll make our supporters proud and also probably gain fans that side too,” Hilda Tloubatla, the group’s lead singer and last surviving original member from 1964 told TshisaLIVE. 

Aged 83, she has lost none of her musical prowess and vivacious stage energy, despite the retirement of Mildred Mangxola in 2013 and the passing of Nobesuthu Mbadu in 2021.

Tloubatla became determined to preserve the heritage of the Queens and mbaqanga music in general. She has recruited two young performers, Amanda Nkosi and Nonku Maseko.

“I’m the only one left from that original line-up. I get so emotional when I think of all the people I started with who are no longer alive, especially Mahlathini and our Makgona Tsohle Band. They were really the pioneers of mbaqanga music and understood our sound like nobody else.

“But if I’m the last one left, there’s no way I can let this group end. I’m now working with two talented young ladies, Amanda and Nonku, our next generation of Mahotella Queens. They sing beautifully and know exactly how to jive. I’m very proud of them, and I know fans will be excited to see them in action. But even though I’m now 83, I can still move as fast as they do on stage!”

This will mark the first appearance of the Mahotella Queens outside South Africa since 2019 and their first performance in Japan since 2005.

For a record-breaking six decades, the famous mbaqanga ladies have been one of the most loved musical attractions to emerge from South Africa, with multiple hit singles and albums to their credit, countless global tours and timeless collaborations.

The Queens have just wrapped up the recording of their first new album in two decades and are preparing to set off on a tour of Japan.

“I’m 83, but I’m active, healthy, and still jumping on stage — that is not my doing, but the grace of the almighty. When I’m not performing, you’ll never find me resting at home — I’d rather be at church,” said Tloubatla.

“Our new album Buya Buya drops out at the end of this month. Look out for it!”