Zim singer strikes a chord in Afrikaans

Philani Nombembe Correspondent

We are so proud of him. We might not under­stand Afrikaans, but music is a language on its own and we can feel it.

Shona-speaker Tinotenda Singe had no ambi­tion to become a musi­cian after mov­ing with his par­ents from Zim­b­abwe to South Africa 15 years ago, but now the 21-year-old is singing his way to fame – in Afrikaans.

Singe followed in his grand­father’s footsteps, aiming for a career in agriculture.

He says his Afrikaans-speak­ing friends made a big impres­sion on him and he “fell in love with their culture”.

Singe played rugby growing up in Swellendam in the West­ern Cape.

Now he is studying agriculture at Stellenbosch University and recording chart-topping songs played on Radio Sonder Grense (RSG).

TiNO – his stage name — got into the groove at 19 after taking up the guitar. Dieter Sullwald, a friend, helped him to write his first single, Afstand (Distance).

“I would say it’s something that happened by acci­dent, but at the same time it’s God’s grace,” said Singe.

“It wasn’t my intention to go into the music industry. But when I got my first guitar I started playing and humming. I didn’t know that I was actually going to get addicted.”

His 10-song album Sterrekind (Starchild) was released in Novem­ber 2021.

“We recor­ded 10 songs in one week, which was quite hec­tic,” he said.

He likened the music producer Tertius Human to a “magi­cian” who put him at ease in the studio. Singe’s songs res­on­ated with listen­rs and Afstand shot to number one on RSG.

“I didn’t know what to expect, but people love it (Sterrekind). It has motiv­ated me to write more songs,” he said.

Singe has rubbed shoulders on stage with the likes of Afrikaans musi­cians Jan Blohm, Ryno Velvet and Elvis Blue.

“Jan Blohm inspired me to play the gui­tar and sing, espe­cially Afrikaans. It was a nice feel­ing,” he said.

He juggles university and music, but being on the road is a chal­lenge.

“The music works around my schedule. I have gigs every week­end and some­times during the week,” he said.

“I met Sullwald in my first year. He was play­ing the gui­tar. I knew what I wanted to write about, and what the song would be about. That is how Afstand was born. I have friends stuck far away in Zim­b­abwe, so I just put pen on paper.”

Sull­wald never ima­gined they would write a chart-top­per.

“We had a great jam, and in the days to fol­low came a catchy chorus and a beautiful second verse. It was an awe­some experience to just see the music flow into something beautiful,” he said.

Singe’s mother, Jane, said: “We are so proud of him. We might not under­stand Afrikaans, but music is a lan­guage on its own and we can feel it.”

And Singe’s parting words: “Don’t wait for something good to come your way. If you want to be a musi­cian who plays the gui­tar, you just have to pick up the guitar and start playing.”