Queen Mashie launches album

Sophia Chese Arts Correspondent
France-based Afro-fusion songstress Sandra Mashiringo, aka Queen Mashie, sister to the late legendary guitarist Andy Brown, is set to launch her fourth album titled “Time” at the Book Cafe today.

Ammara Brown and Brandon Mamvura are expected to perform at the launch.

Oueen Mashie said she is happy that she managed to fulfil her dream of recording and launching her album in her home country.

“I am over the moon that I was able to come back home, record and now launching my album here, it has been a while since I last launched and recorded here and I am happy that after such a long time, my dreams have come true,” she said.

She said the album which talks about the importance of life carries 11 songs most of which were recorded at Monolio Studios.

“The album carries a total of 11 songs, 10 were recorded by Clive Mono Mukundu at Monolio Studios and another one was recorded in Namibia.

“On this album I am urging people to live their lives with excitement since we do not know our days on earth. I decided to record here because I wanted my music to have the Zimbabwean feel and I am also planning to do this twice every year, coming home and record an album’’, she said.

She added that the album is in three languages English, Shona and Swahili so as to cater for her diverse fans across the globe.

“ Born and raised in Zimbabwe, she still embraces the experience she got during her stint with The Storm, a band founded by her late brother Brown.

“I got my experience from The Storm and I will always treasure that. Andy was very tough, he groomed me to be the calibre of artiste I am now. Without him, I don’t think anyone would have realised the talent in me and encouraged me to take up music as a career,” she said.

Queen Mashie is also the founder of the October Women’s Festival which was formed in 2013 and had become an annual fete in Nairobi were she was based before moving to France late last year.

With her unique style, combined into a fresh weaving Afro-jazz, mbira, folk sprinkled with Swahili spice, Mashie’s music has been making waves through East Africa, gracing stages of prominent festivals such as Sauti za Busara (Zanzibar), Women in Jazz (Zimbabwe), and Afro Sinodo held in Manchester, the United Kingdom. She is set to perform at Afro Pfingsten Festival in Germany in June last year.