Gemma carves a different path from her aunt Brenda Fassie

As a young girl, Gemma Fassie had no inkling that she was related to one of SA’s global music icons, Brenda Fassie, known to many as "MaBrr". 

The 24-year-old grew up in a Christian home where the only music she was exposed to was gospel, a different genre from what her aunt MaBrr sang. The late icon sang Afro-pop and kwaito township pop dubbed as bubblegum music in the late '80s and early '90s. 

“I always knew I was a Fassie but I didn’t know how deep the Fassie name was for South Africans until I was in high school,” said the singer. 

“My grandmother was deeply rooted in Christianity, so we weren’t able to watch television much. The times I’d get to watch, I didn’t really stumble upon any of Brenda’s performances.” 

Gemma grew up in a household that consisted of her grandmother, mother and brother in Cape Town and used the surname Kock.

Her father, who was Brenda’s brother, wasn’t present as much in Gemma’s childhood hence she had little-to-no-knowledge of the icon whose legacy still lives on 20 years after her death.   

“When my brother started using the stage name Robin Fassie-Kock, I did some deep diving into the Fassie surname. I then started mentioning that I was a Fassie in high school and would see how much my peers would make a big fuss about it,” she said. 

Having learnt that she was related to a global superstar with an imprint like no other, Gemma started growing confidence in her talent which made her “break out of the shadows” in her high school singing group to sing lead in most of their performances. 

That was when her peers started calling her Gemma Fassie.

Before she discovered her famous surname, Gemma’s passion for music took form in grade 9 when she and her friend entered a singing competition and sang John Legend’s All Of Me.

Although they didn’t win, Gemma attracted the attention of a music producer who wanted her vocals on an EDM song, All I Need, which was then played on radio. This song saw the passionate young singer touring and performing all over Cape Town. 

“My high school friends would always hype me up. They would play my song in the morning on their phones and made me feel that I could really become a big singer in the music industry,” she said. 

In 2019, I went to Greece for eight months as a part of a show group. We had 10 shows and every night we’d sing at different hotels. In 2022, I committed myself to try out music fully without holding back.” 

In late 2022, South Africans learnt about this emerging artist after her cousin, Bongani Fassie, shared a clip of her singing Tamia’s Officially Missing You, on X which went viral. 

Her soothing voice mesmerised people on social media with many professing how she had facial features and mannerisms like her late aunt. 

“The first time I met Bongani was at a mutual friend’s funeral. He started crying when he saw me. He kept telling me how much I looked like his mom ,” she said. 

Last year, Gemma was nominated as one of the emerging artists at the Basadi In Music Awards and is currently a part of composer and singer Msaki’s incubator programme, ALTBLKcontinua, which will help debut her upcoming EP. 

“I have a lot to offer and as much as I grew up singing in the church and school choirs as a classical singer, R&B has always been my thing. However, with the direction music is taking, I plan to infuse Afro-pop and Amapiano sounds in my upcoming project. My dream is to be known all over the world.”