‘I’m the top dog’: Babes Wodumo names Beyoncé and Tyla as her only competition

• Babes Wodumo named Beyoncé and Tyla as her only competition in a viral interview.
• Her 2025 comeback album, Mabheshingo, marked her return to the music industry.
• Babes made history as one of the few African artists featured on Kendrick Lamar’s Black Panther: The Album, appearing on the track Redemption.

Singer Babes Wodumo has never been one for false modesty. In a viral interview clip circulating on social media, the Queen of Gqom made it abundantly clear that, as far as she is concerned, the list of artists who can genuinely compete with her is very short.

When asked which artists she would want to feature and why, Babes did not hesitate, “Beyoncé and Tyla. Only.”

Her reasoning was equally direct. “Beyoncé is just like me; she is stubborn. Tyla as well. I don’t think the rest can defeat me. I am the top dog, from dancing to singing. So, none of these people can defeat me,” she said in the clip.

Babes Wodumo first captured the world’s attention with her explosive 2016 hit Wololo, featuring Mampintsha, a track that became a major anthem both locally and internationally. Her debut album Gqom Queen, Vol. 1, further cemented her status as a leading figure in the Gqom scene.

Babes’ boldness is backed by a career that has earned it. She was nominated among global musicians at the MTV Europe Music Awards for Best African Act, as well as at the BET Awards for Best International Act: Africa.

The Gqom superstar made her highly anticipated return to the music industry in 2025 with the release of Mabheshingo, a project that marked not only her comeback but also served as a deeply personal tribute to her late husband and fellow musician, Mandla “Mampintsha” Maphumulo.

“I added a few songs Mampintsha left me with. I can’t wait for everyone to hear it,” Babes shared ahead of the album’s release.

And for anyone who needed a reminder of where she stands in the genre she helped define, she offered this: “I’m still the Queen of Gqom,” she told Gagasi FM.

Speaking to DRUM, she said she kept her head down for two whole years and worked on this album, one she’s worked on without her late husband.

Speaking on the experience of finally walking the journey, she said it felt unusual.

“He used to do everything. My only task was going into the studio and performing on stage. Now I had to be hands-on with everything. At least he never wrote songs for me, so that was my secret weapon without even noticing.”

Long before the viral clips and the comeback album, Babes Wodumo had already cemented her place in music history. She was featured on Grammy-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar’s curated Black Panther: The Album, on the track Redemption.

In an interview with Billboard, she reflected on that defining moment: “I think it was favour from God. I think God chose me. Of all people in Africa, of all girls in Africa, he chose me. That makes me want to rejoice and want to say, ‘Thank you, God,’ and praise him every day.”

On Instagram, her reaction was equally electric: “Look at God. I am very excited and honoured to have received such an opportunity, together with other African artists who are paving the way in getting local talent recognised abroad. Washa wena (turn up).”

READ| Babes Wodumo is back with a new multi-genre album – ‘I’ll always be the only queen of gqom’