SULTRY songstress Cynthia Mare’s return to Zimbabwe from the United Kingdom — though a big gamble — has paid off.
BY AGNES GUDZA
Looking back, she can only attribute her success to hard work and determination, without which, she says, she would not have reached such a peak in her music career.
She said she grew up in an RnB culture in the UK and consequently adopted that genre when she fell in love with music. Her new sound, she said, reflected her origins and experiences. The new Afro-fusion genre carried the strains of jazz, gospel and traditional Zimbabwean mbira.
However, the death of her mother four years ago became the turning point in her life which made her look back to her roots and spurred her to establish her own distinct sound.
Her third album, Shinga, launched at the 7 Arts Theatre on November 20, confirms that the award-winning musician has come into her own.
During the album launch, comedian Clive Chigubhu was the MC and Victor Kunonga and Amara Brown performed at the event.
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“Growing up in the UK gave me a different influence to my music then. Back then it was all about RnB and Pop music. That is all I knew and so that is what I got into,” she recalled.
“Because I went there when I was young, I did not concern myself much with my roots and background. I just sang for fun and just looked at love songs and the kind of music people would enjoy.”
The four-time award winner added: “The death of my mother really changed me to become the person that I am today. I realised there is more to music, more to come out of life. Two days after my mother’s death I was in the studio recording Zuva Rimwe because I did not get the chance to talk to her or say goodbye as she was in a coma. It was the most painful time of my life.”
A few months later, she decided to come back to Zimbabwe to ground her music career, where there are producers and musicians who understood African music.
“At first my dad was worried and asked how l was going to sustain myself because in the UK, I had a good job as a qualified paediatrician. I was earning a good salary and everything was great, but something inside me was pushing me to come back,” Mare said.
She admitted that it has been tough trying to break into a market where no one knew her and it took hard work and pushing to the limit.
“I am always pushing boundaries for myself, though sometimes it is scary. I have grown as an artiste. I believe I have become more seasoned, my voice is stronger and I recorded with my full band this time. I am determined to incorporate my Africanism and the music l do now is to touch people through it, to tell someone not to give up even in difficult times,” she said.
Cynthia was educated at Hermain Gmeiner in Bindura and St Dominics in Harare, a catholic school whose system helped instil in her a culture of discipline.
When she lost her mother, Enita Charewa Chamboko, to breast cancer in 2011, Cynthia released an album, Songs My Mother Loved, dedicated to her late mother. The album had Jazz and gospel tracks, including church hymns.
The album was bought for $4 000 at an auction held during its launch in 2013.
