On the path to greatness with Tamy Moyo

From rubbing shoulders with icons such as Oliver Mtukudzi, Jah Prayzah, to the late mbira queen, Chioniso Maraire and American rnb legend Joe Thomas, 19-year old afro-pop fusion singer and songwriter, Thamsanqa 'Tamy' Moyo has been making waves on the local music scene for quite a while now.

She has exhibited a level of maturity beyond her years and it has led to many a critic endorsing her as the future of Zimbabwe's music industry, and rightly so.

But what does Tamy herself, as she is known to her adoring fans, have to say about it all?

" I am honoured and humbled that people support and see me as the future but all it simply means is that I got to work harder now, more than ever before.

"I have to remain headstrong.... I have to keep pushing to stay on the right path to greatness", said Tamy who does however concede that the territory comes with a lot of pressure.

"Well the pressure is definitely on but i believe that every man (and woman) is the author of their own destiny.

"Truthfully speaking the journey has been great but hectic, it is a lot of work.

From the happy moments, achieving so much in so little a time to breaking down sometimes under pressure, I can't say that it is everything I always dreamt of but I am getting there.

" I can only pray that GOD's will be done and I move at my own pace rather..... it is my race to run and I need to run it diligently", she asserted.

The beautiful singer/songstress described working with renowned artists like Tuku, Maraire and Ammara Brown as not only fun but an eye-opener and a wonderful learning experience as well.

"I have had the opportunity to work with some of the biggest names in the industry today, some of whom are surprisingly such humble people and I have learnt so much from interacting with these artists and sharing the stage with them. They work hard and challenge me to work even harder.

"At the Miss Tourism Zimbabwe 2016, I got to do the same when I shared the stage with the likes of Busiswa, Dr Malinga and Ammara Brown, among others", she said.

But which ones where the most memorable for her?, we inquired ......

"Being part of Chiwoniso Maraire's performance @ HIFA 2012 opening night.....who to me will forever remain the queen of Zimbabwean Music, is no doubt the most memorable.....

" In 2008 i shared the stage with Joe Thomas, I actually got to 'duet' with Him. What makes it memorable is that at the time i had no clue why this guy was so significant, i just knew that i liked his music. Now i sit back and think of what a musical legend he is across the world and it makes my encounter with him all the more special!", said the 19 year old teen sensation.

There is a quote that says, 'do what you love and you will never have to work a day in your life', it is certainly applicable in Tamy's case.

"Well for starters I am a music lover and i appreciate the arts soooooo much...... secondly my family has been nothing short of supportive for what i do since i was seven, especially my mum.

" It is a tough industry but life is not worth living if you are doing things that don't make you happy or things that you dont love. My passion is with music and entertainment and it is GOD who blessed me with that gift", she said.

In March this year, the singer got to celebrate Women's month at Marlbereign Girls High where she performed as the guest artist at their annual Women's Day concert. We asked Tamy what the occasion meant to her, as a woman and female artist.

"Well first of all as Women's Month we are celebrating each and every woman on earth. So for me, it means breaking boundaries as females in every aspect of life, celebrating the break from patriarchy into a new era of independent, hardworking and competitive females.

"As female artists, we are celebrating our penetration into the arts industry because it is no secret that this industry is male dominated. We are also celebrating the freedom of expression as women through music.  

"Just the ability for female artists to stand up in their different fields and partake in the arts industry is more than empowering to the next female ", said Moyo.

Besides the imminent release of the video to her single 'Beautiful Ndozvandiri', Tamy said that she had been working on a couple of other singles. She is also set to embark on a nationwide tour in order to interact with her multitude of fans and is also working on a project in South Africa.

Her aspirations include gaining international recognition, signing a major record deal and, of course, one day bagging the coveted 'Grammy'.

Her latest single, 'Beautiful Ndozvandiri' is currently sitting at Number #3 in the UK Zim Billboard 100 charts.