Netsayi, singer-songwriter and ‘Queen of Afrofolk’ (The Daily News), is back – recording, performing and wowing audiences from New York to Harare.
Last seen on a 40-date UK tour supporting Grammy Award-winning legends Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Netsayi subsequently returned home to Harare in 2010, where she put together the band, Black Pressure. Her new incarnation maintains the familiar wit and poetic writing, while her show is by turns emotive and energizing, revealing flashes of virtuosic brilliance from musicians who rework the traditional sounds of Zimbabwe to dramatic effect.
Arriving in the UK with the new millennium, Netsayi forged a reputation performing a cappella in London’s singer-songwriter clubs. After her self-produced demo landed on BBC Radio DJ, Trevor Nelson’s desk, she went on to receive universal acclaim in the British press for two albums: Chimurenga Soul and Monkey’s Wedding, (‘refreshingly, startlingly excellent’ raved Mojo).
In 2012 Netsayi & Black Pressure were spotted by American composer and artistic director, Paola Prestini, at the Harare International Festival of Arts and invitations to the US followed. These included a rapturously-received live show on NPR and bookings to play at BAM and Celebrate Brooklyn 2014. Netsayi is clearly at the forefront of the new wave of African artists on the verge of global recognition.