Bio
Babes Wodumo is a South Africa musician best known for pioneering the Gqom genre, beginning with the success of her song Wololo, in 2016.
She has performed the song, featuring Mampintsha, on numerous television shows including Idols 12, The MTV Africa Awards, Rhythm City, The South African Music Awards and Come Duze.
Another song, Redemption, features on Black Panther: The Album, the soundtrack for the feature film Black Panther.
Babes had a guest appearance as a hustler girl in an episode of the SABC1 soapie Uzalo, in 2016. In the episode, she was credited by her real name, Bongekile Simelane (although the credit was misspelled).
She also made a guest appearance as herself in an episode of the SABC1 sitcom My Perfect Family, appearing in Season 4, Episode 7, which aired on 26 October, 2016.
She also performed at the DStv iRock Limpopo pre-party stage on Friday, 23 September 2016 at Jembe Tavern, Meropa Casino.
The following year she featured in an episode of the MTV Base reality competition series Lip Sync Battle Africa, going up against fellow musical newcomer Ntando Duma. The duo featured in Season 2, Episode 13, which aired on 29 June, 2017.
Prior to that she was pranked by Tol A$$ Mo's crew in the Season 3 premiere of the MTV Base hidden camera prank show #YouGotGot, which aired on 2 May, 2017. The episode later aired on sister channel MTV Africa, in October.
On 25 November that year she was one of the featured performers at the #BringSummerBack - Fresh Ink Party at Blue Lagoon Beach in Durban. The following day, SABC1 broadcast the #FillUpOrlandoStadium concert, at which she was also a performer.
Babes was one of the celebrities featured in Uzalo's funeral of MaNzuza and Smangele, played by Leleti Khumalo and Sihle Ndaba respectively, which aired as a one-hour special on SABC1 on Friday 16 February, 2018.
She was a guest on the SABC3 afternoon magazine programme Afternoon Express, in which she helped make lamb ribs and donuts in choc sauce on the "Cook Along" segment. The episode aired on 17 July, 2018.
Also in 2018, Babes was one of the eight celebrity contestants on the SABC1, advertiser-funded game show Tropika Smoooth Fan, in which uber-fans of celebrities put their skills and celeb-knowledge to the test in the hopes of making it to the finale, for a chance to win R250,000 cash and a car.