We sat down with UK based Zimbabwean Gospel musician Shumirai Tsitsi Mazombe who has been making some great music for sometime now. She has a new music video titled Ndinokutendayi. Born in Harare, Tsitsi grew up all over Zimbabwe constantly moved him around various towns but they spent more time in Chinhoyi and Mutare.

By Plot Mhako

Having started music at an early age Tsitsi revealed that her biggest challenge has been getting hold of the finances that she need to achieve the vision of music audio, vocals & visuals.

“When it comes to music I enjoy the creative process the most. I love hearing and seeing the end result of a song I might have composed whilst I was washing the dishes, commuting home or going through a very happy or difficult moment. I am often amazed at how the songs come out in the end after the extra input from the producers, backing vocalists and instrumentalists.”

Revealed Tsitsi

To date she has released 13 singles of which 10 of these singles are my her Debut Album which was called Tenzi Makanaka. The remaining 3 singles, Ndinokutendayi, Migove Yedu and Apo Rabuda Zuva are on my 2nd album which is also called Ndinokutendayi. Migove Yedu, Apo Rabuda Zuva were released on this year with the video of Ndinokutendayi featuring Praise Temple being the most recent.

The video came out on the 27th of June and is already receiving good feedback with a cover having been done by popular artist and producer Chisale.

Most people when they relocate to the diaspora they tend to drift away from Christianity but it is very interesting to note that Shumirai Tsitsi has remained rooted to the gospel so as her music.

“I have stuck to Gospel Music because I realised that the ability to sing and write songs was a God given ability. When I realised that these two abilities were God given it made perfect sense to me to sing praises to the one who made me the Shumirai that sings today.”

The experience of being a musician in the Diaspora has privileged her with the chance to see how the music industry can flourish with the right support from many stakeholders such as the government, the media industry for example print media, TV media , radio media and social media, the business community and the Christian church community especially if it is Gospel. By being in the UK she says she has had the opportunity of being in a more multicultural society than the one I knew growing up in Zimbabwe. Influences from other nationalities have definitely enriched my singing, songwriting and performance.

However despite being based in the UK the artist is still very much connected to her country of birth.

The response back home has been encouraging of late. My music is starting to be received well and it is finding airplay on different stations across Zimbabwe and I am grateful for each door that is finally opening to my music.

Shumirai Tsitsi would love the industry to document more of what is still known about musicians of yesteryear that are still alive and those who have passed on. She is very grateful for the work that the likes of Marshall Shonhai, Clive Mono Mukundu and Zivanai Masango and Enock Chisale of Chisale Productions are doing in this regard.

I am especially grateful for you Plot Mhako and your work with Earground which is chronicling what is happening NOW, and what we hope for as the music industry of Zimbabwe. I would love to see more musical history and current music industry developments be captured and released to us as Zimbabweans. I believe that as this area of capturing and releasing grows, we as Zimbabweans will become more confident and comfortable in our own unique identity as Zimbabweans on the World Music Stage.

This September she is turning 40 and has made a vow to herself that by the day she turns 40 she will have 40 songs out in the public domain and has already accomplished half of the goal.

Shumirai Tsitsi urged her fans to develop a personal relationship with the Almighty and secondly to be proud of who they are and not copy or try to be like someone else.

Honour yourself and your generation by giving us the gift of your true or authentic self. I believe that as each and everyone of us does so, our world will become richer & better.