SA: Sha Sha drops I’m Alive album

The release follows a listening session where the 28 year old BET Award winner hosted local media and music professionals at the Sony Music Entertainment Africa offices in Rosebank, Johannesburg.

The record asserts Sha Sha’s dominance on the amapiano scene while also extending her creativity into a bolder, soulful R&B terrain. It boasts collaborations with top local artists including Focalistic, DJ Maphorisa, Kabza De Small, Mellow & Sleazy, Ami Faku, Blxckie, Rowlene and A-Reece.

Following up on her debut EP Blossom, I’m Alive reveals an artist who is breaking barriers as heard on her four fantastic singles that preceded the release of this offering.

“‘I’m Alive’ is nothing short of a proclamation of my musical eclecticism and wide-ranging music gifts – from songwriting to performing,” Sha Sha said. “It is also a statement of my own power. There had to be certain things within myself that had to happen so I could come alive. It’s more like a rebirth, self-reflection and healing.

“I think every single one of them [collaborators] brought a special contribution to my project. I am very proud of us as a team and the music we have created. I think there are some great and exciting surprises on the album, people will discover the diversity of the music we have created.”

The album shows Sha Sha’s strength in other genres, including Afrobeats and R&B. In this intoxicating mix, she expresses her aspiration to reach new audiences around the globe without losing the signature Sha Sha sound that has made her the Queen of Amapiano.

“This album was a healing process for me,” she said. “I don't want to prescribe too much to people, but I think the healing and love message will come through clearly. The title I'm Alive is not a morbid one. It is a journey of letting go of a version of me and welcoming the new one. It is about low frequencies around me and inside of me that had to come to an end for a new version of me to come alive. I am a very spiritual person so in this journey the relationship with God is central.”

As for what she hopes the audience would take away from the album, Sha Sha said: “I want them to let themselves go and get lost in the music. To take whatever they want from it and maybe in a way it will assist them to tell their stories too.”

This latest project will no doubt open up more opportunities for the Mutare-born singer, who is the poster child for Southern Africa’s biggest musical movement. Music In Africa previously interviewed Sha Sha about the genre’s success and how it defines South African culture.

“It’s a vibe, it speaks for our culture, especially if you listen to the language used. The production and instruments are its own thing, and it shows a different side of Africa. The majority of it is African with a modern twist. I see it becoming very big as it goes on and threads itself into the international music scene.”

A slate of high-profile collaborations and her own releases has propelled Sha Sha’s rise in the music industry. She launched her career in 2013, aged 19, after giving up studying to be a nurse and following her heart to write, perform and record music. In 2020, she became the first Zimbabwean artist to win the BET Viewers’ Choice: Best New International Act award in the show’s 20-year history.

Sha Sha was discovered and nurtured by singer-songwriter Audius Mtawarira in her early years. When she moved to Johannesburg, a chance encounter led her to DJ Maphorisa, Kabza De Small and Samthing Soweto, with whom she worked on her debut EP, Blossom. With the release of the EP in 2019, Sha Sha quickly became a household name in amapiano. Besides demonstrating Sha Sha's ability to deliver stunning R&B and Afro-soul pop tunes, the collection also showcased amapiano's versatility.