Top 5 stars of the 80s: Who is your favourite?
Updated | By Poelano Malema
These stars topped the charts and dominated the airwaves in the 1980s. Let us know who your favourite is...
The 1980s was a decade where a lot of things changed in the music industry.
Punk rock was very big in the 80s, house music got introduced, and Hip Hop became prominent.
We also remember the big stars that came to the fore in this decade.
Michael Jackson
The ‘King of Pop’ became very prominent in this decade. He won three awards at the American Music Awards in 1980.
Michael walked away with the Best Soul/R&B record for 'Off The Wall', Best Soul/R&B Single for ‘Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough’, and Favourite Male Soul/R&B Artist award.
His songs dominated the charts in this era. Some of his most-loved songs included ‘Off The Wall’ and ‘Thriller’.
Brenda Fassie
Brenda Fassie achieved international stardom and was named ‘The Madonna of the Townships’ by Time Magazine.
One of Fassie’s best albums, ‘Weekend Special’, was released in the 1980s. The title track of the album was and remains a big hit.
Other songs such as ‘Higher’ and ‘ Too Late For Mama’ were also very big in the 80s.
Prince
There is no talking about stars of the 80s without mentioning Prince.
Prince was not only a phenomenal singer, but he was multi-talented. He could write songs, produce music, dance, play the guitar, drums, keyboards, and bass - he was a performer of note.
His album, 'Purple Rain', which was released in 1984, made him one of the major stars of the 1980s and remains his biggest-selling album.
Madonna
Madonna is a seven-time Grammy Award winner. She has sold over 300-million records.
The 1980s was Madonna's boom decade.
Songs such as ‘Who's That Girl’, ‘Material Girl’, and ‘Crazy For You’ made her a big name around the world and her songs topped the charts.
Johnny Clegg
South African star Johnny Clegg was a singer, songwriter, dancer, anthropologist, and musical activist.
Apart from music, what made Clegg remarkable was his fight for equality in South Africa. He strongly spoke out against apartheid.
The star won a number of national and international awards for his music and for his activism work.
In 1987, Clegg and Suvuka released the famous ‘Asimbonanga’ from the 'Third World Child' album.
The album also featured hits such as ‘Don’t Walk Away’ and ‘Scatterlings of Africa’.
Of these five stars of the 1980s, who is your favourite? Take part in the poll below:
Image courtesy of Instagram/ @Madonna
For loads of fantastic classic hits from the 60s, 70s and 80s, listen to East Coast Gold via the ECR app or here. We’re also on various other platforms, including Alexa (just enable the ‘East Coast Gold’ skill); MyTuner, Radio Garden; iono.fm, Radioline or OpenRadio.
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