Gee Six Five has the last laugh as single 'Obani Lababantu' tops digital downloads

The woman behind the off-tune gqom-amapiano hit song Obani Lababantu is having the last laugh as her single tops charts on digital downloads despite some social media ridiculing.

Olpha Selepe, a 65-year-old woman who goes by the name Gee Six Five, has been trending on social media since the release of her song on Thursday, with some users mocking her because of how she belts out the tune.

The song was officially released on Thursday on all digital platforms but she pre-released a video promoting the hit single early in the week where she gave her background story on what inspired her music.

The song has brought much-needed comic relief for South Africans, with many downloading it to use for social media memes.

Selepe said she was no typical grandmother who sang at church.

Born in Emadadeni in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, Selepe retired as a teacher in March and started working on her music career in July. She said she was excited that her plan to get the country talking has been achieved.

“I started composing the song in July, writing and singing until the lyrics were in my head. The plan was to do ingwijikhwebu or something that will take the country by storm. The message in all this is that it is never too late to become what you want to be. Don’t be afraid to explore your own talents because of the naysayers. I just wanted to do what was never done before,” she said.

Explaining the inspiration behind the song, Selepe said it was motivated by changing people's perceptions. "People always say… abantu bayangihleba [people are gossiping], abantu bayangizonda [people hate me]. We never include ourselves. The song offers a question and an answer. Through the song I’m asking a question, who are these people that we always refer to? …and the answer is me, you, her and all of us.”

Apart from her music career, Selepe is a smart magogo and a scholar of note. She is a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) student in higher education at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The granny with 13 grandchildren  began her teaching career in 1981 and retired after spending years as the head of uMgungundlovu TVET College, Northdale branch. The widow, who lost her husband in 1999, said she tried her luck in the music industry 20 years ago by releasing a gospel album which never took off like her hit single.

Digital distributor Unathi Dlamini said: “When the song was released on Thursday, it landed at number five and from there it has been doing well. We are happy to work with Mam Gee Six Five because she knows what she wants. She has released a song that appeals to younger people.”