Online Reporter
Trust Khosa
Zimpapers Arts and Entertainment Hub
ANDY Brown may have died in 2012, at the age of 50, but the family legacy is still intact.
His sister and former backing vocalist, Tatenda “Queen Mashie” Mashiringo, has managed to keep the flame burning.
The diva, who works in France, where she also serves as a social worker, is back home to reconnect with her fans, family, and her late brother’s children, including Chengeto and Ammara.
Not only will Queen Mashie rekindle her love with her fans, but she will also give Zimbabweans and fellow creatives a Workers’ Day treat in the form of an album titled “Queen Mashie — Rejuvenation”.
The album will be launched today and Pauline Gundidza, Diana Samkange and Nicholar will be among the guest performers.
She enlisted the services of reputable producers — Clive “Mono” Mukundu, Willis Wataffi, and Tapiwa “Maselo” Jera.
The appeal of this event is that it comes 14 years and two months after her brother’s death.
He died a day after his birthday.
These memories will be shared as the diva is set to interface with fellow artists and fans during Workers’ Day celebrations.
For Queen Mashie, it will be work and plenty of fun.
“I’m back home for the launch of Rejuvenation, which I have been working on for some time,” Queen Mashie said.
“It’s a special moment for me to meet my old fans and I’m looking forward to a big reunion with my fans and my family.
“I can assure them that we are ready for the event, as the production process was finished on time.
“It’s a big occasion where I will meet my family, including my late brother Andy Brown’s children.
“Chengeto will be there to support her aunt as usual, but it’s unfortunate that Ammara won’t attend because she is abroad.”
She praised her production team.
“It was a good experience working on this and I can’t wait to perform there for the first time since 2018,” she said.
“Of course, I’ve been coming home regularly but I have missed my fans after performing several years ago and the May 1 show will be fire.”
According to her profile, Queen Mashie has been based in Lyon since 2014.
She has toured extensively in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the UK, France, and Norway.
She started singing at the tender age of four and professionally from 2000, when she joined Andy Brown as a backing vocalist.
She later decided to go solo and joined the Vintage Band with veteran guitarist Timi Makaya as the lead singer.
She recorded her debut album titled Higher Heights in 2006 before moving to Nairobi, Kenya.
In 2006, she moved to Nairobi, Kenya, to pursue her music career.
She worked with the Nyota Safi Band and later joined the Tutu Band as a lead vocalist.
She was signed to Sound Africa and recorded her second album, Kare Kare (Long Time Ago), in 2008. She did collaborations with different artists from Zimbabwe and Kenya, and produced her third album,
Queen Mashie Collaboration, in 2009. On that album, the song Ulikuwa Wapi topped the charts on Nation TV.
In 2011, she recorded her third album, Mbijana Mbijana, which produced the hit song Ndodzungaira. She also founded the October Women’s Festival in Nairobi in 2013.
She recorded the track Godo, which appears on her new album Time, launched in Harare in 2015.
She has also performed at the Sauti Za Busara Festival in Tanzania and HIFA 2014 in Zimbabwe, among other festivals. Queen Mashie is Zimbabwe’s own version in the making of artists such as Angélique Kidjo, Brenda Fassie, and Miriam Makeba.
