This "Motown Lover" had the audacity to record and release a four tracked debut album, get it trending on Twitter on its day of release and receive applauses from all corners of the country while remaining true to her first love in music, backing vocals.
Born Muvanga Natasha Tarukwana, "Mimmie" is a 26 year old woman and sister to Award winning Hip Hop star Asaph.
She is not be treated with bias because of what her brother has done and says she would want to be judged by what she has become, an artist of her own standing. Having a famous brother could have downplayed her entry into the music scene but she says, nights in the studio and performances with the rapper led her to answer calls from a growing number of fans who insisted she records her own body of work.
She says there is clear distinction in the family as she scoops the "best vocalist" while her brother takes the best "lyricist" and that will forever settle the issue on who is the best.
Because Mimmie is no stranger to the music, starting to sing at a very tender age and with musically inclined choral parents, she would perform her favourite songs to them whenever she could and she chose music (or rather it chose her) at a tender age. This is shown by her old school music tones and feels in her music. There are pockets of the old school brilliance that easily sways you to sing along and fall in love with her music.
Her new EP, They love Mimmie induces a beautiful taste on your musical palette. It is riddled with the tones and nuances of a full grown artist when in fact it is her first. You can hear all the years she has worked as a backing vocalist for matured artists such as Takesure Zamar and Asaph rub off on it.
It was a no brainer placing Bambelela as the first track on her EP. She saw the impact of the pandemic on her city, Bulawayo and thought of doing a piece that inspires her people to "hold on" and keep their "heads high" as everything will be alright. We all needed to hear that, as long as we could hear it. Covid 19 has been the greatest struggle for our generation and in a beautiful song within a tough time such as this, it will forever remind us that we are victors to anything else that we face in the future.
Her second song, First love, she initially wanted to write and have the song known as an honour to her parents who have been on a 30 year old strong marriage. She planned on keeping it that way until she revealed to me that it was actually about a past relationship of hers.
Because of you is an Amapiano Vibe that speaks volumes about the month of March in which women are celebrated. Written by a friend of hers, Mimmie was for the idea of telling a story in a much more relatable manner and sound such as Amapiano, a genre born out of House music and made popular in South Africa.
She finished off the album by roping in her brother Asaph for One Time, to get back at him for all the times he dragged her to the studio. She says, "I have always wanted to have a Mimmie featuring Asaph song and not the other way around and this was it!" It is a groovy, feel good song that praises the love for the party that Bulawayo nights are know for and is made even more catchy with her melodies and catchy choruses. You will love it. If you have chance to listen to it, click here
With the pandemic wrecking havoc to the music industry, very few artists have been able to speak of effective penetration of their work as their biggest arsenal of performing to live crowds was taken away. They have had to contend with online releases and marketing and only the strong have survived.
In 2020, an artist's arsenal and tricks to get people recognising their music needed to be more than just the art itself. It is a good combination of a great sound (there was plenty of that to go around), as people watched and listened to everything out of boredom. A good marketing strategy (pics, videos and a large fan base to kick-start your campaign) PLUS the ability to keep up with every comment related to your music via the multiple online platforms available today. It is no longer just 'a job' but the pre-requisite to an all rounded artist. Artist's performances today have become more virtual before becoming physical. The new normal.
In a perfect world, Mimmie's album could have toured, seriously. If not the world, her own backyard then. But because of COVID, she is more than happy to see the love she receives from her fans. She is not be judged within a particular box and says her future albums could be a surprise as she is all about the music and experimenting with different sounds. Listen to the #AtHomewithMimmie podcast here
Or you can click the image below to listen in.
