Edith WeUtonga-Katiji scored a nomination for Folk Album of the Year at the first-ever Folk Music Awards happening in the UK. Her upcoming record Varipasi made the shortlist alongside eight other albums, and the winner gets announced next March at Rochdale Town Hall. She's the only African artist nominated, which makes it kind of a big deal for representing Zimbabwean traditional sounds on a stage they don't usually get to be on.
The bass guitarist and singer dedicated the album to her grandmother, who died during lockdown when she couldn't make it home for the burial. She went deep into mbira sounds and traditional melodies for this one, saying the spiritual and ancestral themes needed that connection to roots. She's also president of the Zimbabwe Musicians' Union and vice president of the International Federation of Musicians, making her the first African woman in FIM's leadership.
The bass guitarist and singer dedicated the album to her grandmother, who died during lockdown when she couldn't make it home for the burial. She went deep into mbira sounds and traditional melodies for this one, saying the spiritual and ancestral themes needed that connection to roots. She's also president of the Zimbabwe Musicians' Union and vice president of the International Federation of Musicians, making her the first African woman in FIM's leadership.
