Shingai Shoniwa
| Shingai Shoniwa | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Born |
1 September 1981 London, England |
| Genres | Post-punk revival, indie rock, soul, blues |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Musician, Actress |
| Instruments | Vocals, bass, guitar, cello |
| Years active | 2006-present |
| Labels | Universal, Motown, Vertigo |
| Associated acts | Noisettes, Chrome Hoof, Sonarfly |
| Website | www |
| Notable instruments | |
| Fender Jaguar Bass | |
Shingai Elizabeth Maria Shoniwa (/ʃɪŋˈɡaɪ/ shing-GYE; born on 1 September 1981) is an English singer, best known as the vocalist and bassist for the UK indie rock band Noisettes. Her first name, Shingai, means "be bold/courageous/strong" in the Shona language.
Shoniwa was born in London and grew up in South London. Her father, a politician, died when she was 11, leaving her to a single mother who remarried a Cambridge University Medical student from Zimbabwe. That experience, Shoniwa says, informs her music. "Wanting to escape from reality can inspire the greatest and most trivial creative natures in people," and "I think escapism is something that connects all of us. Everybody has their own little soundtrack, and I guess I’m trying to make my own soundtrack to my escape plan. I want people to realise that there's so much more." Shoniwa has a twin sister, TV presenter and media executive Shorai Shoniwa.
She first wanted to be an actress, and for a while joined the Lost Vagueness crew as a burlesque performer. She studied circus skills at a London youth club as a teenager. When she graduated, she attended art school and dabbled in local theatre. Her classmate and friend, Dan Smith, would hold what she called "ridiculous jam sessions — too many people strumming broken guitars thinking they're Syd Barrett". She then went on to study at the BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology in Croydon. One day she joined him singing, and the two quickly formed a group called the Noisettes.
Critical response to Shoniwa's performance has largely been positive. Rolling Stone magazine said that "Shoniwa is a living, breathing manifestation of the rock & roll spirit, with a voice that is equal parts Iggy Pop and Billie Holiday." In her stage persona, Shoniwa looks like what the New Yorker called "an African supermodel", and she frequently performs in bare feet while wearing face paint or fur hats on stage.
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