https://hot1027.co.za/ A Star Is Born is a special HOT1027 News feature that celebrates the legendary artists behind the music we love. On an artist’s birthday, we take listeners on a nostalgic, audio-rich journey through their life — from early struggles and breakthrough moments to the songs that defined an era. Using carefully selected music and the artist’s own words from rare interviews, A Star Is Born honours the stories, setbacks and successes that turned raw talent into timeless hits. Music en Fri, 30 Jan 2026 08:39:19 +0200 Mon, 08 Jun 2026 10:46:59 +0200 30 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss iono.fm 2.5.2.0 HOT 102.7FM no Weekly feeds@iono.fm (Feed Manager) https://cdn.iono.fm/files/p555/logo_9811_20260130_083929_1400.jpeg https://hot1027.co.za/ A Star Is Born is a special HOT1027 News feature that celebrates the legendary artists behind the music we love. HOT 102.7FM episodic HOT 102.7FM digital@hot1027.co.za false ZA https://iono.fm/e/1683629 https://iono.fm/e/1683629
From a tough childhood in Manchester to selling more than 50-million records with Simply Red, Hucknall turned heartbreak, hope and soul into some of the biggest hits of the 80s and 90s.

HOT1027's Tara Penny takes a look… ]]> Music Mon, 08 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 26: Mick Hucknall: "Pop music is a definite art form" 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 2:57 A Star is Born https://iono.fm/e/1682458 https://iono.fm/e/1682458
Known around the world as the "White Zulu", he broke apartheid's racial barriers through music, language and friendship — creating songs that became part of South Africa's story.

HOT1027's Tara Penny reports... ]]> Music Sun, 07 Jun 2026 06:00:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 25: Johnny Clegg: "Music was an expression of our friendship" 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 3:13 A Star is Born https://iono.fm/e/1682407 https://iono.fm/e/1682407
Prince was a singer, a songwriter, a producer and a multi-instrumentalist who refused to be defined by race, genre or convention.

HOT1027’s Tara Penny takes a look. ]]> Music Sun, 07 Jun 2026 05:00:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 24: Prince: "You're either here to enlighten or discourage" 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 3:09 A Star is Born https://iono.fm/e/1680413 https://iono.fm/e/1680413
From Ramsay Street to global superstardom, few artists have reinvented themselves quite like Kylie - with a career spanning nearly four decades, and two battles with cancer.

HOT1027’s Tara Penny takes a look… ]]> Music Thu, 28 May 2026 11:05:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 23: Kylie Minogue: "You can't buy it, you can't bottle it" 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 2:45 A Star is Born https://iono.fm/e/1679572 https://iono.fm/e/1679572
From the chaos of Fleetwood Mac to a legendary solo career , Nicks became the first woman inducted twice into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame — and she remains one of rock’s most magnetic storytellers.

HOT1027’s Tara Penny takes a look… ]]> Music Tue, 26 May 2026 10:00:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 22: Stevie Nicks: "I understood what love is and why people write these songs" 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 2:54 A Star is Born https://iono.fm/e/1678176 https://iono.fm/e/1678176
With hits like “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” to “When I Need You” and ''Thunder In My Heart", Leo Sayer built a career on emotion, energy and pure storytelling.

But behind the curly hair and global fame was a shy boy from England - who once hid behind clown makeup, just to find the confidence to perform.

HOT1027’s Tara Penny takes a look… ]]> Music Thu, 21 May 2026 10:00:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 21: Leo Sayer: "My best is still ahead of me" 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 2:40 A Star is Born https://iono.fm/e/1677704 https://iono.fm/e/1677704
The man with the gravelly growl and flailing arms had a rare gift — the ability to turn pain into poetry.

HOT1027’s Tara Penny takes a look... ]]> Music Wed, 20 May 2026 10:00:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 20: Joe Cocker: "Music was an awakening for me" 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 2:20 A Star is Born https://iono.fm/e/1676402 https://iono.fm/e/1676402
For five decades, Janet Jackson has turned pain, control, vulnerability and sheer determination into some of the most defining music — and choreography — of the modern era.

From Control and Rhythm Nation to Nasty and Together Again… she didn’t just follow pop culture. She changed it.

HOT1027’s Tara Penny takes a look. ]]> Music Sat, 16 May 2026 07:00:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 19: Janet Jackson: "I wanted to stand on my own two feet" 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 2:53 A Star is Born https://iono.fm/e/1675638 https://iono.fm/e/1675638
Blind since infancy, Stevie Wonder turned extraordinary hardship into extraordinary art — creating some of the most joyful, political and beloved music ever recorded.

HOT1027’s Tara Penny takes a look... ]]> Music Wed, 13 May 2026 17:06:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 18: Stevie Wonder: "I wanted to be where the music was" 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 2:24 A Star is Born https://iono.fm/e/1672669 https://iono.fm/e/1672669
From the streets of Dublin to stadiums around the world, Bono has spent nearly five decades trying to prove that rock music can do more than entertain… it can change lives.

HOT1027’s Tara Penny takes a look… ]]> Music Sun, 10 May 2026 06:00:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 17: Bono: "Celebrity reverses God's order" 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 3:27 A Star is Born https://iono.fm/e/1672680 https://iono.fm/e/1672680
Billy Joel built a career turning heartbreak, family wounds and the messiness of ordinary life into songs that millions of people still know by heart.

HOT1027’s Tara Penny takes a look... ]]> Music Sat, 09 May 2026 06:00:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 16: Billy Joel: "Life experience gave me lyrics" 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 3:11 A Star is Born https://iono.fm/e/1673189 https://iono.fm/e/1673189
Bob Seger gave a voice to the restless, and the ordinary people just trying to hold it together — turning small-town memories and long lonely highways into songs that still hit home.

HOT1027’s Tara Penny takes a look... ]]> Music Wed, 06 May 2026 17:00:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 15: Bob Seger: "You try to touch something universal in the lyric" 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 2:33 A Star is Born https://iono.fm/e/1662547 https://iono.fm/e/1662547
He was a Motown legend whose music moved between protest, passion and pain — and his life was as complex as the songs he left behind.

HOT1027’s Tara Penny takes a look… ]]> Music Thu, 02 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 14: Marvin Gaye: "I was a session musician hustling my way 'round Motown" 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 2:51 A Star is Born https://iono.fm/e/1661253 https://iono.fm/e/1661253
After years of quietly battling a rare neurological condition that forced her off stage, she made a breathtaking return at the Paris Olympics — and now, a full comeback may be within reach.

HOT1027’s Natasha Thorp takes a look... ]]> Music Mon, 30 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 13: Celine Dion: "Maybe I won't sing again..." 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 2:37 A Star is Born https://iono.fm/e/1660668 https://iono.fm/e/1660668
Bursting onto the scene at just 20 years old….. she quickly became one of the biggest stars in the world.

HOT1027’s Natasha Thorp has more... ]]> Music Fri, 27 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 12: Mariah Carey: "It's what saved me..." 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 2:32 A Star is Born https://iono.fm/e/1660257 https://iono.fm/e/1660257
From a little girl in Detroit’s Brewster housing projects to Motown royalty, movie stardom and a solo career packed with global hits, Ross didn’t just perform the soundtrack of an era — she helped create it.

HOT1027’s Tara Penny has more... ]]> Music Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:17:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 11: Diana Ross: "My first performance was in Church" 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 2:18 A Star is Born https://iono.fm/e/1659869 https://iono.fm/e/1659869
From “Rocket Man” to “Your Song”, Elton John has given generations the soundtrack to love, heartbreak, reinvention and survival.

But behind the glitter, the fame and the piano hooks was a man searching for something much more human. ]]> Music Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 10: Elton John: "I'm the luckiest man in the world" 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 2:28 A Star is Born https://iono.fm/e/1658679 https://iono.fm/e/1658679
From the streets of Pittsburgh to global superstardom, George Benson changed the sound of jazz, soul and R&B forever.

HOT1027’s Tara Penny takes a look… ]]> Music Sun, 22 Mar 2026 07:00:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 9: George Benson: "I had my first payday at 7" 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 2:32 A Star is Born https://iono.fm/e/1656823 https://iono.fm/e/1656823
From "Fame" to "Flashdance"...her music helped define the sound of an era — winning her an Oscar and a Grammy.

She died in 2022 at the age of 63 — after a career that never quite reached the heights many believed it should've.

HOT1027’s Natasha Thorp takes a look... ]]> Music Wed, 18 Mar 2026 11:00:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 8: Irene Cara : The voice that was everywhere 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 2:07 A Star is Born https://iono.fm/e/1648451 https://iono.fm/e/1648451
The singer , songwriter and guitarist passed away just a few days before Christmas last year, leaving behind a legacy of soundtracks that still land as well today as they did when he wrote them.

HOT1027’s Tara Penny takes a look… ]]> Music Wed, 04 Mar 2026 07:00:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 7: Chris Rea :"I'm not a very good popstar" 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 2:49 A Star is Born https://iono.fm/e/1652245 https://iono.fm/e/1652245
From early criticism to global stadium tours — his band has become one of the biggest in the world.

HOT1027’s Natasha Thorp takes a look... ]]> Music Mon, 02 Mar 2026 15:00:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 6: Chris Martin: "You're a sky full of stars" 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 2:34 A Star is Born https://iono.fm/e/1645968 https://iono.fm/e/1645968
From Birmingham to the world, his band UB40 helped turn reggae into pop history with Ali’s voice right at the centre of it.

HOT1027’s Tara Penny takes a look... ]]> Music Sun, 15 Feb 2026 07:00:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 5: Ali Campbell: "Reggae is my home" 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 2:30 A Star is Born https://iono.fm/e/1645632 https://iono.fm/e/1645632
Williams now holds the record for the most number-one albums by a solo artist in UK chart history.

But behind the bravado of a showman is a story of insecurity, addiction, and perspective.

HOT1027’s Natasha Thorp takes a look... ]]> Music Fri, 13 Feb 2026 07:00:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 4: Robbie Williams: "I was running away from responsibility" 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 2:54 A Star is Born https://iono.fm/e/1643417 https://iono.fm/e/1643417 The reggae legend's music, carried messages of peace, resistance and change around the world.
But behind Marley's unmistakable voice and global success was a far more complex man.

HOT1027’s Natasha Thorp takes a look ... ]]> Music Fri, 06 Feb 2026 17:10:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 3: Bob Marley: "My life is for people" 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 2:18 A Star is Born https://iono.fm/e/1643191 https://iono.fm/e/1643191
And today, Rick Astley turns 60 after conquering the charts, surviving the pop machine, and finding a second life - decades after the song that took over the airwaves.

HOT1027’s Tara Penny takes a look... ]]> Music Fri, 06 Feb 2026 07:00:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 2: Rick Astley: "The songs are bigger than you" 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 2:50 A Star is Born https://iono.fm/e/1640833 https://iono.fm/e/1640833
From "In The Air Tonight" to "Against All Odds" and "Another Day In Paradise", he sound-tracked an era — in an incredible career that all started with two sticks and the courage to take a leap.

HOT1027's Tara Penny takes a look... ]]> Music Fri, 30 Jan 2026 07:00:00 +0200 0 0 Episode 1: Phil Collins: "I'm a drummer who does a bit of singing" 0 0 HOT 102.7FM full 2:41 A Star is Born