…as Queen Mashie launches fresh album
By Robert Mukondiwa
Enigmatic contemporary afropop sensation
and goddess of traditional contemporary music, Tatenda Sandra Mashiringo,
popularly known as Queen Mashie, returns to Harare from her France base to
launch a groundbreaking album entitled Time this Thursday (23rd).
Aptly entitled Time, the eleven track album
certainly spells out that this indeed is her time to be heard as it is laden
with powerful tracks that are definitive, moving, hauntingly soulful as well as
superbly didactic.
And in line with her stage name the album
is a royal effort in the use of traditional instruments, particularly the
Mbira.
In it, Queen Mashie hauntingly seems to
snatch the mbira from the apparition of the late goddess of the instrument, Chiwoniso
Maraire, taking over from where the late mbira queen left off as she proudly
assumes the throne of Zimbabwe’s musical ancestry.
Speaking about her fresh album, Queen
Mashie says it is a culmination of the tenets that describe her; hard work,
energy, and tireless dedication.
“I sought to put together an album that
would help me sell the Zimbabwean sound not only back home here in Zimbabwe but
also all over the world and push a proud legacy of Zimbabwean music being able
to crack the airwaves anywhere in the world,” she says.
And she has already begun doing that
raising the Zimbabwean flag proudly amidst the French Tricolor in her new home
in Europe.
Laden with tracks that explore traditional
and intimate subjects like belonging, rape and abuse of women and girls and
issues like jealousy amongst families, Queen Mashie has produced a gem of an
album which no doubt will be amongst the premium picks of the urban adult
contemporary releases of the ear.
“I am certain the album will resonate with
the listeners as I have tried to incorporate feeling and discipline in the
sound and the lyrics,” said Queen Mashie. Resume in the music industry after
starting singing professionally in 2000
Queen Mashie has a hot resume in the music
industry having worked with her late sibling And Brown after she started
singing professionally in the year 2000. Queen Mashie also performed at the
SautiZaBuzara Festival 2008 with Afrodynamics, a composite of various musicians
from different parts of the world (France, Mozambique, Senegal, Austria and
Zimbabwe) She has also performed at Hifa 2014, Blankets and Wine in June 2012,
Choices, Thursday Night Live, Chitenge and Wine Lusaka Zambia and Afro Sonido
Manchester UK.
Mbijana Mbijana (pole pole, slow slow)
comprises her original afro fusion composition in Shona, English and Swahili
with a distinctly Mbira sweet melodies that defines her music, linguistic and
cultural journey.
