In case you’re living under a rock and haven’t heard the news yet, Cartoon Network has just announced it is creating a five-part film for its beloved show The Powerpuff Girls, and it is adding a fourth, black Powerpuff girl to the mix. Even better, a new Powerpuff girl who happens to be none other than South African singer-songwriter Toya Delazy.

Toya Delazy has always been a trendsetter, she was the first openly lesbian South African singer to gain mainstream success despite her sexuality since Brenda Fassie (and even Fassie identified as bisexual) and went to achieve great things, including international nominations and wins for her music which is very inclusive and often explored love from a lesbian point of view.

By choosing Toya Delazy to voice the new Powerpuff girl and sing the theme song for the film, they are giving LGBT persons in South Africa (and the world, no less) a new role model. And for heterosexual persons, they are allowing Delazy show that LGBT people are just people – who love cartoons too.

Reacting to the news, Delazy said:

“I have always dreamed of being the voice of a cartoon character. Never did I think I would be recording a voice-over as the new Powerpuff Girl for Cartoon Network, though!”

A rep of the studio, Jamie Ondarza added:

“Toya Delazy is definitely a perfect fit for The Powerpuff Girls brand. Toya is definitely a perfect fit as the fourth Powerpuff Girl. She is confident, bubbly and quirky; all the values that we are familiar with, love and appreciate. We have a lot of surprises up our sleeves.”

The show, titled The Powerpuff Girls: The Power of Four debuts today at 5:30 p.m. on Cartoon Network

Congratulations to Toya Delazy for breaking this massive glass ceiling both as a woman and out LGBT person. We know you’ll make light work of this new opportunity.

Editor