The Kasi Princess: Self-styled First Lady of Zimbabwe house music

Editorial Comment
USING the moniker TKP (The Kasi Princess), 22-year-old Sandisiwe Dube has launched a scorcher of a house music album.

USING the moniker TKP (The Kasi Princess), 22-year-old Sandisiwe Dube has launched a scorcher of a house music album.

The six-track album has singles such as Phumilanga and Ndoyenda which are frequently rotated on local radio stations. Most of the tracks on the album have the self-styled First Lady of house music credited as co-writer with DJs Wexey, Cute and Bhelezito who are all South Africa-based.

TKP has found a niché with this release. There is no notable artist among the women of music in this category locally, to my knowledge.

This far, radio appears to be warming up to her music.

Afro-Platinum media run by another South Africa-based Zimbo, Reason Sibanda, aka Rizzla T, is the executive producer of the project.

Born in Magwegwe suburb, Sandi has dabbled in rap and acting in productions such as Stitsha.

The debut album has a particularly cheeky number called I am Not Sorry which has a lyric that says: I broke your heart in self-defence; I’d do it again if I had the chance.

Never had I encountered such a lyric in all my years of listening to music from across genrés, local and international.

Maybe the closest a lyric came to being this caustic was Carly Simon’s famous adult contemporary hit from the 1970s You’re so vain which says of the song’s subject: You’re so vain, you probably think this song is about you, You’re so vain, I’ll bet you think this song is about you. Don’t you? Don’t you?

House music basically is a progeny of disco music. Think disco divas Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor and cult films such as Saturday Night Fever from the seventies. US music producers in the eighties like Frankie Knuckles led the way in popularising the genré. In Southern Africa, local DJs Hosiah “The Hitman” Singende found fame riding on its crest wave.

In South Africa, Zimbabwean music producer Oscar “Oskido” Mdlongwa has made serious strides in breaking now famous outfits Mafikizolo and Bongomuffin through KalawaJazmee, a label he co-owns with others. The company’s productions borrow heavily from the house music dance genré.

In an interview, Reason Sibanda, the young lady’s label owner observes: “Most artists do music that makes them happy, but it is important to know where the money is.”

Sibanda seems to have found a workable business formula as the album in my possession carries a logo of a South African energy drink. It can’t surely be because his company is feeling like Santa Claus to dole out free publicity!

Hopefully TKP is not just another starry-eyed youngster dreaming of seeing her name in neon lights. My advice: Keep your eye on the money Miss Dube.