Piwai | Richmond | USA

Mbira music serves as both a symbol of our past and the connection between the living and the dead. It is an ancient telephone to the spirit realm. We can traverse from the physical to the spiritual realm to find healing. I use mbira as a portal that allows us to “teleport”. Bakanal de Afrique Fellowship has been a great experience for me because I needed to be artistically challenged. For a change I needed to be in a confined and yet creative space, with time limits, alongside other creatives from a multiplicity of disciplines. I create music as it is the only space that I can create without the restrictions from family, community, society and the world. It’s unlimited audible travel. Above all, music, heals me, gives me a sense of self and a close connection to my heritage through language, dance & rhythm. This project allows me to connect people to whom they are; self and heritage. Our emotions throughout time have allowed us to survive through travels whether forced or unforced. What inspires me is the sense of healing that music brings to us when we physically and mentally travel. Music, through rhythm, melodies and harmonies allows our mind to wander through invisible and audible spaces while we navigate in the physical spaces. I call it Teleportation and I invite anyone who wants a strong connection with one’s heritage to teleport to invisible audible spaces and see not just the world, but the universe.I invite you on trip to teleport both your conscious and subconscious mind to provide insight in understanding how we learn about ourselves. ...Handei!!!

Production Credit

Artwork: Tati

Music: Dj.Ka.V, Melissa Jones

Mixing: Chris at Nexus Studios

about the artist

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Piwai

Singer/SongWriter/ Mbira Player & Percussionist

Richmond CA | Zimbabwe

Piwai’s chilling vocals and hypnotic sound have been described as spiritual nirvana. A captivating performer, she bends genres to seamlessly ow from jazz, reggae or folk to pure African rhythms, moving listeners to physically feel her music, creating a trance-like rhythm that balances consciousness.Piwai wows audiences across the globe with her soulful voice and genre-fusing melodies. Fondly known as the girl with the African thumb piano, the mbira, Piwai was born and raised in Zimbabwe. Her love of music is influenced by her multicultural Southern Africa and gospel exposure in early childhood. During and after college years in the US, Piwai trained as a jazz vocalist at the Jazz School of Berkeley. She’s studied with world-renowned vocalists such as Vernon Bush, Raz Kennedy, Maye Cavallaro, and Frankye Kelly. Piwai has since been under the tutelage of maestros and the incomparable percussionist, Yagbe Onilu, and conguero, Butch Haynes. Piwai collaborates regularly with Fantastic Negrito, playing percussion on his 2017 Grammy Award winning album “Last Days of Oakland"

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