Z u w a An introduction to ethno-rock
The expression that is Zuwa embodies a diverse
creativity that relates to opposite ends of the same
world. Zuwa carries dual heritage, and is as much an
expression of one of these, as she is of the other.
She refuses to side with either, and embraces both, as
she knows she cannot divide herself from who she is.
Where Harare, Zimbabwe meets South London, where black
meets white, we find Zuwa.
Where indie rock and folk meet African riffs and drum
rhythyms, where rocking guitar strings meet soulful
melodies, rhythmn and poetry; we find ethno-rock
the two words that tie together the music expressed by
Zuwa. Coloured, brownin, even cafe au lait. It doesn't
matter, it is what it is.
Zuwa has been inspired by the music of Bob Marley,
Lauryn Hill, Carol King, Billie Holiday, The Beatles,
The Stones, and Lenny Kravitz to name a few. Her
parents spun the 60's classics mostly, also including
Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Jacksons and The
Supremes. Alicia Keys, Jill Scott, Norah Jones,
Common, and John Legend have more recently inspired
her.
Zuwa is a singer-songwriter, poet and actress. She is
eloquent in all of these, and what joins it
together, is Zuwa's passion and respect for
communication, and words, and often her lyrics
reflect this - Believing that the power of life and death is in the tongue,
she uses words to
inspire and challenge, evoke thought, stimulate, heal and edify.
Her first steps into music involved a short term as a
member of the African Hip hop group, A Peace of
Ebony. They won the Radio France International Award
for Best African Group in the Les Descouvertes
competition. Their Award winning song titled Vadzimu
features on an album distributed by the Putumayo World
Music label.
Before that, and after, Zuwa has worked as an actress,
including working on projects for the BBC and ITV, TPI
Italy and various productions for African broadcast.
She has a vast amount of theatrical experience, and
her biggest audience would be the millions that
watched her take part in a Miss World competition,
where she was a contestant.
Although her artistic experience is vast, her
development as a singer-songwriter has been a very
personal process, making her songs intriguing and
rich. Zuwa is a natural, cooked like raw bush tea,
this is no instant tea bag type of thing! Zuwa,
meaning 'Sunshine', is here to shed some light and
warmth, with her musical style and unique blend of
lyrical content - Whoever you are, hopefully you'll
find something you can relate to in her music, just don't force yourself to define it
