The Sunday Mail
Takudzwa Chihambakwe Leisure Correspondent —
WHEN lightning strikes, it does so with great intensity that everyone in that space feels it whether they like it or not. It is with such irresistible force that young musical sensation, Thamsanqa Moyo aka Tamy, arrived on the local musical scene.
Like a blizzard, she made it difficult for any other local female artiste to match her standard as she outclassed them not only in terms of vocal dexterity but even lyrical content.
At just 18 years of age she is one of the best sounding artistes in the studio and on stage, and has been very consistent throughout the year. Only “Mukoko Queen”, Ammara Brown, has had the same impact on the airwaves as Tamy in 2016.
It came as no surprise when she was chosen to be among four performers who serenaded fans at last weekend’s five-star Miss Tourism Zimbabwe grand finale. She sizzled. Her dazzling performances placed her at the same level as international hotshots Busiswa and Dr. Malinga.
But who is this vivacious and talented young singer?
“I was born in Harare at the Avenues Clinic on January 5, 1998, since then I have grown to be a teenager based right here in the capital,” Tamy began her narration, “I went to Lusitania and Westridge High for my primary and secondary education respectively. Two weeks ago I completed my A-Level studies at the latter and now I await my results.”
Unearthing a gem
“The musician in me was discovered when I was only seven years old. My parents who happen to be renowned DJ and radio personality, RK The Music Doctor and my mother Dorothy Makwara, noted that I had a passion for music early and they encouraged it.
While other children were busy playing house and fighting over dolls and toys, I was always looking for costumes to look like Beyonce who is one of the many artistes that inspire me.
“I would spend most of my time singing and dancing at home and once in a while my dad would organise for me through his network to sing the national anthem at various occasions. I was young then and did not realise the impact of such exposure, but it is only now that I see the benefits.
“When I was nine years old, the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe heard about me and organised a trip for me to New York alongside two other Zimbabwean children and I had the honour of performing with an African children’s choir alongside the famous Afrocentric group, Bongo Love, at the storied Madison Square Garden,” said Tamy.
She added: “Again, as a child I didn’t know the importance of the place I was performing in, all I remember was that I had a lot of fun on that big stage and when I look back at the video now I am amazed to see myself in such a space.
“When I was 11 my parents bought me a guitar and this is when I started developing the musician in me, as opposed to just the vocals. I literally trained myself how to play the instrument, driven, of course, by passion for the craft.”
At age 12, Tamy had already become a music writer and she says it all just came naturally.
“At the age of 12 I started writing my own music. It was during this time that I wrote my first single, ‘Sango’. I kept a diary and still have it today, where I would write all my songs. In 2012 we decided to record the single but we struggled to find a producer who would give me the sound and groove that I wanted.
“So we waited till last year when we met Alpha who then produced it and the track became a hit. I was really skeptical about it, because I feared that it might not do so well since I was still new in the game but I am grateful and amazed at the level of success it has reached,” she revealed.
Music and school – the conflict
Most young artistes the world over struggle to balance child stardom and school. But after Tamy scored Six Bs and Three Cs at O-Level, her parents could only let her be. However, she says it was not easy.
Said Tamy: “As my musical side was developing, there was a lot of demand from the academic side of my life such that I almost quit music at one point. It was really difficult trying to balance school and the music especially this year when I had to write my final exams and had earlier released my debut six-track album ‘The 18th Rollercoaster’, which is doing very well and am truly grateful to God for that.
“Besides the music I also had a lot of other responsibilities at school such as being a prefect, head of cultural activities, vice president of the debate team, vice-captain of the soccer team, an athlete, was in the swimming team as well as part of the hockey team.
To add to that I was also an ambassador for Childline hence I had a lot of activities that I needed to do and with the support of my teachers and family I managed to deliver in all these areas. For now I take a breather from the demanding world of school and focus more on my music.”
She says “I can only hope for the best”, when it comes to her A-Level results, as she also entertains thoughts of pursuing a law degree at university.
“I don’t want to be dipping my fingers into too many things as was the case when I was in high school, I will resume with my studies in 2018 after having figured out what I want to study because there is a conflict within me – music or law. But am sure after next year I would have figured out what I really want.
“Back to the music now, I have managed to perform on various platforms over the past couple of years with the key ones being; Harare International Festival of the Arts, where I have staged performances on the opening and closing nights in five consecutive years,
I have also performed at Shoko Festival, Unplugged, National Arts Merit Awards, Harare Winter Jazz Festival, Mutare Jazz Festival, Toya Delazy Concert, Jah Prayzah album launch and the recent Miss Tourism Zimbabwe beauty pageant.
“These platforms have given me an opportunity to work with a number of African icons and I have learnt a lot from each experience.”
The Family
The Sunday Mail Leisure also got to speak to Tamy’s mother, Doris Makwara who now also doubles as her manager and she revealed to us some of the demands that Tamy’s carrier has placed on their family.
“Firstly, I would like to say that as a mother I am proud to see my daughter grow in music the way she has. Since she was a toddler we noticed her passion and we wasted no time and began investing in her gift with the little that we had.
“When she released her album, there was now a lot of demand from people who wanted to book her for their events to an extent that we needed to find a manager for her, who would run around on her behalf since she was still in school.
“So after weighing the options, I decided to quit my job four months ago at the firm I was working as a finance administrator. Tamy was furious with me for making such a decision but now she understands why I had to make such a sacrifice because nowadays we are in meetings nearly on a daily basis and I would not have been able to do this with her had I kept my job.
“However, the sacrifice of resigning meant that there was loss on income we used to have in the family. We now relied solely on her father’s income and it meant cutting down on a number of things. In the first days it was really painful, ridiculous to say the list, but by the grace of God we pulled through and here we are today,” revealed the proud Makwara.
Speaking about her daughter’s decision to chase a career in music she said, “I know the music industry is very tough and to an extent can be terrible especially for female artistes because they are being exposed to a lot of crazy things.
“However, I am not worried about Tamy because from day one she has managed to remain sober minded. There is never a day when I recall seeing signs of fame beginning to get to her. It is this soberness that makes me confident that no matter what might come her way she can overcome and remain focused towards reaching her goals.”
Going forward
“Currently we are caught up in a dilemma, because we have so many music labels particularly those from South Africa approaching us with some lucrative deals and we do not know which offer to go for,” revealed Makwara,
adding, “We have flown to South Arica a number of times already this year to have meetings with some of the people. Some have come through to Zimbabwe to meet with us as was the case last week at the Miss Tourism (Zimbabwe) finals where a company from South Africa interested in signing her to their label sent its representatives to watch her perform.
We are, however, not going to rush into making any decisions but she most likely will be signed to an international label next year.”
Tamy also revealed that new material will be released early next year.
“We will definitely drop some new material for my 19th birthday and a couple of international collaborations are in the pipeline. I have been selected to represent the country at the 2017 World Championships of Performing Arts in Hollywood in June and I am really excited and looking forward to that experience.
“Besides the music, I want to be an advocate for the girl child not just in Zimbabwe but in the region and beyond. I want my life to inspire other girls and make them realise that if they remain focused they can achieve all they want in this male dominated world.”
