Zimpapers Logo

Mbulelo Mpofu, Showbiz Reporter

SPANISH giants, Real Madrid and Barcelona are bitter rivals on the field of play but the two cities were united when Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal tied the knot with his long-time sweetheart Daphne Cañizares last year.

Barcelona resident, singer and Zimbabwean-born Tina Masawi (real name Tinashe Masawi) remembers the night as she sprinkled some Zimbabwean dust at Carvajal’s wedding, mesmerising the audience with her soulful melody in the Spanish city of Segovia on June 24, 2022.

The Sthandwa Sami singer is used to singing in front of bumper crowds but singing an English classic at Dani Carvajal and Daphne Cañizares’s nuptial ceremony was incredible.

“It was incredible meeting Dani and Daphne as they’re lovely people. They were so happy and they came to personally give me a hug and thank me for coming.

“I meet a lot of famous people regularly from politicians to top influencers in Spain and they’re always great. I’ve performed and headlined almost all the Blues festivals in Spain and nearly all the major venues except the Palau de La Musica which I know is coming soon,” Masawi said.

Narrating how she got to perform at Carvajal’s wedding, Masawi said: “Their wedding planner reached out to me months in advance saying they’d seen my videos online and they wanted me to perform at their wedding. I was really surprised because I wasn’t expecting it.

“We coordinated everything online because I’m based in Barcelona and they’re in Madrid. It was an amazing meet-up after all.”
To offer moral support, Carvajal’s wedding ceremony was attended by his Real teammates. These included Marco Asensio, Thibaut Courtois, Federico Valverde, Nacho, Lucas Vasquez, and Jesus Vallejo.

The songstress is Zimbabwean but she has found a second home in Spain since her initial visit in 2014.
“I moved to Spain for the first time in 2014 and it was because I’d gotten a contract to perform at a 5-star resort in the Canary Islands and then I later moved to Barcelona.

“Life here has been nothing short of incredible. The people are lovely and welcoming and it’s become my second home. The support I receive here is incomparable.”

The multilingual artiste went Spanish last year with the release of, “Cora De Hielo” (loosely translated as frozen ice).
This was her first Spanish song since relocating to Spain. Cora De Hielo is a fan-favourite, exuding great promise after charting as high as position eight on the Italian Soul Collection Radio. Last year Masawi worked with a Bulawayo-based producer Mutual Beatz on a track titled “Issues”.

“Mutual Beatz is good and so talented. He has literally become my brother. It was very easy to coordinate with him from a distance and he is one of the best producers/beatmakers that I know.”

Although Masawi’s music visuals are enjoying great rotation on Trace Africa and MTV, she is not enjoying the same support home.

“I think my biggest challenge so far has been the lack of support from home. My career is being pushed more by strangers that don’t even understand the language I sing in and that makes me a little sad,” said Masawi.

With her, versatility is everything since she dabbles between genres ranging from RnB, a mid-tempo Afro-beats concordant tune and a groovy Amapiano feel coupled with some well-choreographed shuffles.

“I owe my versatility to how I was raised. I grew up listening to so many different genres and that has had a huge impact on how I express myself musically. It has helped me create my own unique sound,” she said.

A huge fan of the late Brenda Fassie’s work, Masawi said she is looking forward to meeting American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress Erykah Badu who has been an inspiration to her.

It is a general feeling for any artiste based in a foreign land to want to perform in front of his or her close relatives and loved ones and Masawi is no exception. Her growing discography includes Haundidaro, How Far, Old School Love, Close To You and Secret.

Her major highlights include performing at two of Spain’s most prestigious theatres backed by a 60-piece orchestra, the Liceu in Barcelona and the Teatre Royale in Madrid, the historic Sala Apolo and the Olympic Stadium and also featuring in a global campaign for American consumer electronics and fitness company Fitbit.
She also became the voice on two Freixenet campaigns, writing and performing the theme song of the festival.