Whitney Houston’s SA concert set to premiere as a live album and film
Whitney Houston’s legendary 1994 South African concert will be released as a live album and concert film next month.
Sony Music’s Legacy Recordings, in partnership with the Whitney E. Houston estate and Primary Wave Music, is set to release Whitney Houston’s South African concert, Whitney Houston: The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban), early next month.
A first for fans
The Washington Informer reported that this release is significant because it is the first time fans can get their hands on a live album and concert film featuring the music legend, highlighting her performance in post-apartheid South Africa.
‘This album will remind not just her core fans but music lovers worldwide of Whitney’s virtuosity as a recording artist,’ said Pat Houston, the executor of Houston’s estate.
“The fans have been waiting on this project for over a decade, and they have certainly expressed and made their sentiments known.”
Pat Houston
Film screening
In addition to the album, Whitney Houston: The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban) directed by Marty Callner, will screen in cinemas worldwide on 23 and 27 October 2024.
The remastered 4K film, featuring enhanced audio, will be shown in nearly 1 000 theatres across more than 30 countries. Countries will include South Africa, the United States, the United Kingdom, and also Brazil. The estate executors said this will allow fans to experience Houston’s emotional and electrifying live presence like never before.
Whitney Houston’s 1994 SA concerts
In 1994, Whitney Houston held three concerts in South Africa. She became the first major Western artist to perform in South Africa following Nelson Mandela’s election. More than 200 000 fans came to see her shows.
Her performance in Durban helped establish her as a music icon and a cultural symbol of togetherness.
‘Whitney’s South Africa concerts were special to her, and they were special to the world,’ said Clive Davis. Davis discovered her talent and played a pivotal role in her career. ‘If you want to experience the greatest female contemporary voice of all time, you must see Whitney Houston’s South Africa Durban concert film and own the album,’ he added.
‘It was one of the greatest honours of my career to perform for such a beautiful and resilient country,” Whitney Houston stated at the time of her South African shows. ‘I felt like I was singing not just to the people of South Africa but to the world,’ she added.