Charmaine Shamiso Mapimbiro (born 13 July 1994), professionally known as Sha Sha, is a

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

an-born singer-songwriter from

Mutare Mutare, formerly known as Umtali until 1982, is the capital and largest city in the province of Manicaland. It is the third most populated in Zimbabwe. Having surpassed Gweru in the 2012 census, with an urban area, urban population of 224,802 ...

. Hailed by many as the "Queen of

amapiano Amapiano is a genre of music from South Africa that became popular in mid-2012 with an earlier regular occurrence on South African radio stations in the early 2000s. It is a hybrid of kwaito, deep house, gqom, jazz, soul, and lounge music char ...

", her career began in 2011, at the age of 17 and later was discovered by Audius Mtawarira. She gained popularity for her collaborations with South African

producers such as

DJ Maphorisa Themba Sekowe (born 15 November 1987), known professionally as DJ Maphorisa, is a South African DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter. As a record producer with a blend of house music, amapiano and afro pop music, afropop, he has worked ...

and Kabza de Small. Having signed a record deal with Blaq Boy Music, her debut ''Blossom'' EP, was released in 2019. She was awarded Best New International Act at the 2020 BET Awards.

Early life and career

1994–2017: Early years and career beginnings

Born in

, Mapimbiro moved around Zimbabwe whilst growing up following her parents' separation, often residing with her grandmother or aunts. Her music journey began after joining the choir, subsequently taking vocal and piano lessons as a child. Whilst a teenager, one of Mapimbiro's friends helped get one of Zimbabwe's biggest radio stations to play her music. This radio airplay was well-received and caught the attention of singer-songwriter Audius Mtawarira, who eventually became her mentor and helped her with improving her craft. With help from Zimbabwean musician Brian Soko in 2017, the duo were connected with South African musicians such Rouge and Priddy Ugly who featured her on their releases. During this time, Sha Sha also crossed paths with

through her cab driver. The two began working on

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

s together and, with help from the latter, was able to meet future collaborators Mlindo the Vocalist and Don Laka.

2018–2020: ''Blossom EP''

Sha Sha was signed to

's label Blaqboy Music in 2018. After gaining prominence with her vocals on the songs "Akulaleki" by Samthing Soweto, " Nge Thanda Wena" by Mlindo The Vocalist and "We Mama" by Scorpion Kings, Sha Sha released her debut EP, ''Blossom'' on November 1, 2019. On December 3, 2020, Sha Sha released the single "Woza".

2021-present: ''I'm Alive''

Towards the end of the June 2022, she signed a management deal with Black Major. "Ungowami" featuring DJ Soa Mattrix was released on July 7, 2022, as album's lead single off her debut studio album ''I'm Alive'' which was set to be released on 26 August. The album was released on September 23, 2022, in South Africa.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''I'm Alive'' (2022)

Extended plays

* ''Blossom'' (2019)

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{Authority control Living people 1994 births 21st-century Zimbabwean women singers People from Mutare Deep house musicians Amapiano musicians