Over the past few months, amapiano has grown into a popular new genre across South Africa.
When it first popped on the scene in 2018, it was clear that this sound which was created in Pretoria was here to stay.
Essentially amapiano is a mix of deep house, gqom all mixed in with the jazzy, soulful sound of a piano.
Although people like Tall Ass Tee and The Soul Dictators are cited as the creators of this sound, many other artists have jumped onboard the amapiano ship to create hits of their own. From Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa to Samthing Soweto, Scorpion Brothers and even Mlindo The Vocalist.
Apart from delving into this new genre, these artists also have one other thing in common. They all teamed up with Zimbabwean vocalist, Sha Sha to create their hits.
The young beauty from Mutare has become an in-demand vocalist in amapiano and it's no surprise why.
No stranger to music, Sha Sha, whose real name is Charmaine Mapimbiro, started performing at music festivals in Zimbabwe after her friends encouraged her. “I was not supposed to get into music. I actually wanted to be a nurse. Growing up I would sing in the choir and at school plays but I never actually thought I could sing, others did,” she said.
After pursuing music professionally and having her singles hit the airwaves in Zimbabwe, the rising start decided to move to South Africa and pursue music here. She started doing gigs and soon started growing a fanbase but things really changed when a cab driver she befriended introduced her to DJ Maphorisa
“I would do a lot of gigs at night and I had a cab driver and one day he asked me why I was always moving around at night and I told him it's because I sing. Turns out he also drove DJ Maphorisa now and then so he introduced me to him. I sang for him and he liked my sound,” she said.
Following her introduction to the DJ, Sha Sha was featured on songs like "Nge Thanda Wena" and "Akulaleki" which has helped cement her name in the music industry.
Her latest offering is a remix of Moloko’s iconic song, "Sing It Back". “Whatever I do, I do it because I like it. I have always loved 'Sing It Back' so I wanted to add the amapiano vibe to it and see what we get and I loved it,” she said.
Not one to be labelled as an amapiano vocalist only, her debut EP, "Blossom" will be released in November and is already available for pre-order.
Sha Sha describes it as a labour of love. “This EP has been a long time coming and I am really excited it is here.
I went through a lot to get to this point and I just want to celebrate that. On this EP you will see my diversity and relate to the different themes,” she said.