A tribute to Whitney Houston

Since being staged in Joburg, there has been such a demand for the show to travel to Cape Town - where Davids is based - and Showtime Australia has listened to those requests.

This brilliant concert is equal parts fun, heartfelt and uplifting. Accompanied by a live band and dancers, Davids pays tribute to one of the world's most revered singers by performing over two hours of Houston's pop hits. And there is no person better equipped to do so. In addition to having a voice described as 'jaw-droppingly similar' to the pop diva, Davids openly acknowledges that Houston is her personal idol and was the original inspiration for her own career when she began singing at the age of 14.

"I want people to come and remember Whitney when she was at the top of her game and when she was fabulous," says Davids.

And people all over the world have done exactly that, with South Africa, New Zealand, Singapore, Canada and the US already hosting sold-out performances in the show's first year of touring.

Twenty hits

The show includes over 20 of Houston's most popular tracks taken from the full span of her career, including: I Will Always Love You, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, Didn't We Almost Have It All, I'm Every Woman, Exhale (Shoop Shoop), Million Dollar Bill and more.

Belinda Davids was born in Port Elizabeth and began performing professionally at the age of 14. She has never had vocal training and is blessed with a four-octave vocal range, hence the ability to sing any genre. Her musical heart has always been R&B. Belinda's inspirations as a child were Aretha Franklin, Anita Baker, Chaka Khan, Donny Hathaway, Michael Jackson and the one artist whom she still, to this day, honours in every show she performs: Whitney Houston.

As a young girl one of the very first records that Davids ever owned was a song called Hold Me by Teddy Pendergrass and Whitney Houston. The quality and style Whitney portrayed in this song struck a chord and Davids' fascination with the icon grew. She sang Whitney's music at every chance: at family gatherings, talent competitions and to friends whilst playing in the street. Like many young girls at that time her bedroom walls were plastered with posters and magazine cut-outs of the icon. Whitney's influence was so strong it inspired everything from her dress sense to her hairstyles.

As a young woman Belinda had the burning desire to live out her dreams and follow in her idol's footsteps. She took on the club circuit and her performances left many people amazed at how similar she sounded to the icon.

Eponymous album

In the mid-90s, Davids caught the eye of record executives at Tusk Records, which spawned the album 'Belinda Davids'. Three of the songs on this album, which Belinda wrote, were released as singles: This I Swear, This Is My Life, and We Go Together. The latter was number one for six weeks in South Africa.

Davids promoted her album all over South Africa for a number of years at various hotels, clubs and cabarets. She opened shows for many international acts when they visited South Africa including Michael Jackson's History Tour, The Manhattans, The Temptations and Peaches and Herbs. Years after her debut album, Davids decided to travel abroad to expand her musical career, which took her to Dubai, London and Hong Kong to perform in major hotels and clubs, with success.

Whilst performing I Will Always Love You at a hotel in Hong Kong she was requested by the audience to sing a capella as they thought she was lip-syncing to the original Whitney Houston song, after which she received a standing ovation.

After many years on the road she finally settled in Los Angeles where she started to focus on getting her solo career back on track. In LA she collaborated with R&B singer/producer Sam Salter who worked on a couple of her promotional tracks. She also caught the attention of many R&B artists who asked her to perform and tour with them, such as Keyshia Cole, Monica, Johnny Gill, Kelly Price and Keri Hilson. She appeared on The Jay Leno Show and The George Lopez Show as a back-up vocalist for Monica.

The Greatest Love of All - The Whitney Houston Show will run from Wednesdays to Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 6pm. Tickets range from R125 to R290 and can be booked through Computicket or by calling Artscape-Dial-A-Seat on +27 (0)21 421 7695.

For more live theatre, go to www.writingstudio.co.za