By Emmanuel Mwendwa
She may be little known in local music circles but Nairobi-based Zimbabwean Sandra Mashiringo, aka Queen Mashie, is giving local artistes a run for their money.
In three years, she has made inroads into the quicksand that characterises the city’s live concerts circuit.
Though she plunged onto the local scene in an era when her peers preferred creating Western-influenced music, she opted to swim against the flow. She has retained the cultural element in her music. Queen Machie released her second CD and DVD, Queen Mashie: Collaboration, at the Alliance Francaise gardens, last week. Photos: Emmanuel Mwendwa/Standard
And Mashie’s resilience is seemingly paying off. Last week, she launched her sophomore CD and DVD, Queen Mashie: Collaboration, at the Alliance Francaise gardens.
Indigenous music
Songs in the CD include Nataka Sitaki, Murombo, Ulikuwa Wapi, Higher Heights, Watoto and a bonus track I Need You.
She collaborates with various local singers such as Nadie Nice, Miti and LoGmith on some compositions.
The DVD features Kare Kare, Watoto, Gona Rinorapa, Nataka Sitaki and Ulikuwa Wapi.
Mashie’s penchant for blending indigenous Zimbabwean chimurenga rhythms and South African kwaito beats with East African chakacha and rumba stands out in the CD.
In an interview with The Standard on Saturday, she described her music as a celebration of unique richness, which permeates cultural diversity.
For a couple years, she sang and performed as a back up vocalist for seasoned Zimbabwean singer/guitarist Oliver Mtukudzi.
Locally, she has had a stint with city-based saxophonist Juma Abdalla’s Tutu band.
But it did not take long before she found her soul as a solo artiste.
"My musical career blossomed fully after engagement with various Kenyan artistes," she notes.
Her songs are described as a fusion of dynamic dance music weaved around a distinct tapestry of afro-rhythms, which are interspersed with a touch of benga.
Mashie’s artistic profile is further enhanced by the uncanny ability to play mbira — a traditional instrument also known as the thumb piano, common among Southern African Shona community.
"It is played by simply plucking assorted metal spokes mounted on a piece of wood. The sounds which emanate from its range of chords are amazingly unique," she explains.
Notably, she is a skilful percussionist capable of playing shakers and the conga drum during performance.
Her interest in music developed during her school days in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, where she sung in school and church choirs.
She says she owes her musical career to her mother Sondiwe Muchangana, a music teacher, who noticed her talent and nurtured it.
While her interest in music never waned, she opted to pursue an IT course after high school. It took the intervention of her brother, Andy Brown — an already established musician — to change her mind.
Innate skills
She, however, left Zimbabwe in July 2006 to explore the sounds of East Africa. She pitched tent in Nairobi, singing with various bands in city hotels.
Her captivating voice and alluring stage presence gradually drew attention to her innate skills. Tutu band promptly took her on board.