The Sunday News
Peter Matika, Senior Life Reporter
COULD US-based Zimbabwean pop and RnB singer Tinashe Kachingwe be facing an identity dilemma?
Basing on her most recent interview, where she told an interviewer that she had never been to Zimbabwe, contradicting her 2014 interview with The Breakfast Club on Power 105’s Charlamagne Tha God that she was born in Harare, Zimbabwe.
In that particular interview, which is available on YouTube, Tinashe told the world that she was born in Zimbabwe, to a Zimbabwean man and Danish-Norwegian mother.
She said: “. . . My name is from Zimbabwe, that’s where my dad is from. He’s from Zimbabwe . . . My name means we are with God in Shona . . . Fun fact . . .
“My dad is from Zimbabwe, my mom is Danish, Irish Norwegian, she’s from Iowa . . . I was born in Harare, Zimbabwe,” she said before being asked to decode her smash hit 2 On.
However, recently in another exclusive interview, in America the chat topper said she had never been to Zimbabwe and wanted to visit.
“I’ve never been there but really want to visit very soon. My dad left when he was really young; he was only like six or seven years old. But I definitely feel a sense of pride in that culture, and I love the fact that I have a name from it. Their music is amazing. I think it’s such a musical culture; it’s definitely part of why I grew up in such a musical household,” she said, raising questions whether she really knew her identity or was experiencing a dilemma.
Despite her descent being a mystery, her professional biography states that she was born in America.
She was born Tinashe Jorgenson Kachingwe in 1993.
She is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress and former model.
She began her entertainment career at the age of three when she began modelling and acting. In 2012, Tinashe released two critically acclaimed mixtapes, In Case We Die and Reverie, which she created in her home studio.
After the release of the mixtapes, Tinashe signed with RCA Records. She later released her third mixtape, Black Water (2013).
Her debut single, 2 On, reached number one on the Rhythmic airplay chart, and peaked at number 24 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Her debut studio album Aquarius, released in 2014, was noted by music critics as one of the most “solid” debuts by a new female artiste in years.
She made her acting debut in the television film Cora Unashamed in 2000. In 2004, Tinashe appeared in box-office hit The Polar Express alongside actor Tom Hanks, providing the motion capture for the female protagonist.
From 2008 to 2009, Tinashe had a recurring role in the American sitcom Two and a Half Men as Celeste, Jake’s girlfriend.
For a few months she was involved in a social media spate with US rapper and RnB singer Chris Brown, who had taken a swipe at her for protecting another fellow artiste, who had reportedly tried to commit suicide.
Twitter: @peterkmatika
