Held back in their home country where even certain instruments were off limits, The Zawose Queens have defied boundaries and traditions to get where they are today, becoming the first women from their famous Tanzanian musical family to take their place as lead vocalists and performers.
Pendo and Leah Zawose’s music is rooted in traditional singing and instrumentation, featuring chizeze fiddle, illimba thumb piano, muheme and ngoma drums. But it’s embellished with contemporary electronic touches that bring hints of leftfield pop and synth-funk into the mix. “This is our heritage, performed our way,” Leah says.
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- Tom Roper
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