Charmaine Shamiso Mapimbiro at 20 is taking on a Taylor Swift type of journey with a voice that leaves your heart soothed and your mind mashed up in a good way. Hop on and hear her story.
‘I am from Mutare, Nedziva Chimanimani ndiko kumusha kwangu. Growing I travelled a lot because my parents are separated, they separated when I was still a tiny little Shasha. My dad has been staying in England for the greater part of my life but he would come around for Christmas and what not. Our relationship is solid though, I am a proud daddy’s girl. We have such a tight bond. I moved to SA after my grade 5. . My time in South Africa was a challenging time because mama didn’t have the job she is qualified for so we struggled financially for a while. This only made me stronger.
When I got there was very different, ndanga ndine magodi and had the longest tunic. My mother is very traditional, all the other girls had he petite uniforms. I was bullied for a time but I grew to be very bold, I was tough, defensive and angry (laughs).I used to have self esteem issues, I would shy away in a little corner but it helped mould me. I became confident and started dancing and writing poetry. The poetry was actually deep , I had to simplify it for people to understand it. Then before I knew it I was turning them into songs, what I didn’t know was that I had a voice. I have hints of Ndebele and Zulu in my music, I learnt it at this time.
I came back to Zimbabwe and I was staying with m aunt kuDangamvura in 2008. I went to St Davids Bonda and I could not speak Shona at that time and the girls there thought ndaizviitisa. Never took the time to listen to my story. I had to learn though, there was no way out. The change school wise was just a lot, our education back at home is way tougher than SA. I had to work extra extra hard, at some point I had to re-do form 2. All the same I managed through it, got my O’s. The set pathway after this was me going to study nursing or radiology. I began weighing my options with music being the third party.’
“When I got there I was very different, ndanga ndine magodi and had the longest tunic.”
‘A friend of mine had my music came around and played it for Audius. I was still in Mutare at the time but he linked me to Audius. Sat down with my parents and told them that I wanted to come to Harare and get into music. My mum was just like, “ucabangani? (What are you thinking?)” and my dad hit me with the usual, “zvemagitare hazvibhadhare.” I prayed about it, I needed to be sure and I got reassurance that this was my purpose. Then I explained to them that this was my passion and I really wanted to pursue it, then they went quiet. The silence was the type that meant they were waiting to see what would have become of me with m choice. My mum was angry with me for a while but as time went on they would call just to check on me. Check if the money was coming, yet it doesn’t happen overnight (giggles). That’s how I got here. It has become a family for me.
My stage name is Shasha which comes from my government name. Cha + Sha = Shasha which in Shona means champion. I am a singer/ songwriter, I started music fulltime 2 years back making that 2014. I am a pop artist but you will hear EDM, electro music, tropical house, hip hop and rnb. I started working with Audius Mtawarira, Yougidojo and Kush. These are the masterminds behind Blind Face studios. They took me back then when I was a rough diamond and carved me and polished me up. My message has so much of me in it, I write on life experiences. I face different situations and its easy for me to lay it out, I am sure someone will relate to that particular situation.’
“They took me back then when I was a rough diamond and carved me and polished me up.”
‘My first official release was Miss Independent with Cal_Vin and it was a nice experience. People were not expecting it and their reactions just did it for me. It was an exciting experience for me. I had people asking me why I am Zimbabwe based because of a song. The first song I recorded was back in Mutare which was titled Should I, I wrote this one after a heartbreak. I recorded with a guy called C-bleach, he is still there. I recorded 3 tracks with him and they are all on my sound cloud.
I remember having to perform for the first time. I was shaking holding the mic and for a moment I felt like I was about to puke. The nerves were real despite that I used to perform at church. This was a different ball game altogether and I had to nail it but had no idea how to. This was at Alliance by the way, it didn’t make it any better that the space is small so I could feel and see the eyes on me. I did covers and then did one of my songs. I never enjoyed that performance at all and I never hit an high notes with the fear of sounding like a dying cat.
The music industry is one of those very tricky industries. I remember one time a friend took me to a producers place and there were people that were just chilling. There was this one girl with an amazing voice. That voice was just beautiful. But she was wrecked, drinking and doing drugs. I looked at her and my heart ached. Till today when I think of her my heart bleeds for her. That was just another talent down the drain. It was in that moment that I saw how blessed I am.’
“Till today when I think of her my heart bleeds for her. That was just another talent down the drain.”
‘Audius is basically my mentor and father. He took me as his owner and protects me, so does everyone else here. And the advantage of working with him is that he is from Sony Australia so we get opportunities where we can pitch my music to them. Recently we pitched for Empire the series. My recent single is for Empire, we received keys from Mellissa and I wrote and sent it in. We have pitched for a couple of movies as well, one of them confirmed we are just waiting on paperwork. At the same time we are releasing a track for a major label in England. He has opened quite a number of doors for me and I am forever grateful for all he has done for me. Kush, manager is just extra amazing. My family has also been a rock through this, they have been extra supportive after accepting my choice.
I pray on days when I’m down. I have times when I get so depressed and can’t speak at all. I never used to be a spiritual person but when I moved here I started going to Christ embassy and I began to understand who God is and what it means to have Him in my life. I have sacrificed before God and opportunities have just come right at me. Prayer is my rock, it takes me to say something to God and my strength is activated. After prayer it’s the bigger picture that drives me. I want to stand one day at the Grammy’s receiving awards. I want to be known worldwide, I have to make I and I will.’
Keep your eyes on the price, it doesn’t matter where you are coming from. It doesn’t matter that the world has reassured you that you are taking the wrong path, if God says YES then who can stand against Him to say NO?
By Nobuhle N Nyoni .ak.a B