Introducing Reggae Songstress Sandy, Simply Sandy
When Sandy’s debut EP, Signature, dropped in February 2025, it was accompanied by a warning akin to the parental advisory explicit lyrics sticker. The sticker on her EP advised you to file the song under Reggae Essentials and to be prepared for positive vibes. It is recommended that you heed the warning, as Sandy’s Soulful Voice effortlessly transports you through themes of love, resilience and courage, in line with reggae’s longstanding heritage of message music, Each tune has weight, both sonically and lyrically, in keeping with her own brave, guarded, and musically minded demeanour.
The EP received critical acclaim, lauded as “A valiant introduction to the Reggae Scene“, highlighting her boldness and determination, especially in difficult times and unchartered terrain. She relocated to Cape Town in South Africa from Zimbabwe, and not long after the move, she made her Signature mark.
Early Days
Born and raised in Dzivarasekwa, a neighbourhood 15 km from the capital city, Harare, Sandy describes her neighbourhood as a place that played a significant role in shaping her identity and also ignited her passion for Reggae music.:
“It’s a very busy ghetto and always loud,” she explains, “like there’s always some music playing from the streets and during my teenage years there was a significant rise in street bashes (passa passa) where there was a strong dancehall culture with dance groups having dance clashes every now and again. I think that really made me fall in love with the culture in the streets, the way the dance groups used to dress and everything.”
That was the culture in the streets, but at home, Sandy was listening to Reggae almost twenty-four seven; because of her father, a reggae aficionado and a huge lover of the genre. “So from the music he used to play, I couldn’t help but also fall in love with the likes of Burning Spear, Joseph Hill, Gregory Isaacs, Cocoa Tea and a lot of other legends.”
There are quite a few artists who continue the tradition of Reggae who might not be as popular as their counterparts known for the dominant sub-genre referred to as ZimDancehall; a fusion of Reggae, Dancehall, and traditional Zimbabwean music. “But I feel the Reggae could take up a lot more space than it is right now.,” Sandy reflects and cites the contributions of artists such as Moosafa King, Mannex Motsi, and others of her peers to the continued success of the Reggae legacy, of which she is now a part. “There is so much room for improvement in terms of acceptance and dominance of the genre”
But Sandy, as a young talented singer, could have easily gravitated towards ZimDancehall which is much more dominant, and very popular among the youth, but she chose the tuff genre Reggae or as she puts it Reggae chose her.
“I’d be lying if I said I chose Roots Reggae, Roots Reggae chose me. I fell in love with it through the songs my father used to play, made friends with people who loved Reggae, got a job as a part-time cashier at the Royal Ras Centre (a Reggae events venue), met a producer (King Dread) who’s a Reggae lover. Likewise, I think it has always been choosing me to be honest“
She had the fortune of working with One Drop Reggae Band, one of Cape Town’s band deeply engaged in Reggae. It was there that she gained knowledge and experience of the magic of live performing, experimenting with her vocals that were skilfully and creatively blended with the Reggae beat.
Sandy Style
Sandy’s Signature is also marked by her style. Natural Look. Afro Hair, minimal make up, unique sense of clothing style. She is definitely not a trend follower nor does she have intentions of being a trend setter, but just simply being who she is. Her style is also a mirror of the culture that she grew up in. As a matter of fact, it was the struggles of ghetto living that eventually gave her that individual style. Having no money for expensive wigs and hairstyle, she had to learn how to take care of her own natural hair, learn how to look and feel good in it. The same goes for clothing, she had to make do with little and still look and feel confident, and that led her to frequenting thrift stores where she could find simple and cool pieces of clothing.
“The message that I’m conveying with my style is that you can ignore the trends and still look cool and timeless (I love giving off that “old money feel”). Also, learn to be comfortable with who you are. Kinky hair is who I am, and so I wear that Afro with pride. I also want people to know that clothes are more than just that, they’re an identity.”
Sandy Music
Just as the style is her Signature, so too is her music. Her lyrics are poetic, like a short story format, whereby she says little but speaks volumes. The track, “Take It Out” stands as an example. Fierce and truthful, yet delivered in such sweet melodies, Here she takes us through her thought process:
“It always starts as a sound in my head, then I keep humming it until I understand the mood and emotion around it, then I always try to fill in those melodies with words At the same time I imagine how I want the instrumental to sound, and I play around with the melodies until I have a solid idea, But all in all, I always try to keep it simple and meaningful at the same time, that’s my way of trying to strike a balance between Melody and lyrics.
For a young artist like Sandy, who has recently stepped into the music world, her songwriting and the themes she explores reflect a remarkable level of maturity and self-awareness. It’s clear that she is an avid reader and possesses a deep contemplative nature beneath that petite appearance.
“My choice of topic or theme, I’d say, depends on the mood or emotion of the sound that comes to me. Sometimes it depends on what my thoughts would have been focused on, on that particular day. For example, on the song “Runonaka” it had been a day of seeing and hearing a lot of negatives about love and relationships. So l wrote it as a reminder that no matter what we choose to say, deep down we all know that love is a beautiful thing. We all love to be loved. So we should not act otherwise because yes love is sweet. On another hand you get songs like “Ndewenyu”, which serves as a reminder that a daughter is still a daughter despite her marital status and as mothers we should not be ashamed to let our daughters come back home after failed relationships. If she has to get beat up and abused, then it’s okay to take some sort of action. My mind on that particular day had been on females facing abuse and ill-treatment in relationships and marriages“
Sandra Mudenda, known simply as Sandy, a roots Reggae queen, hailing from the ghetto, who loves street style, street culture, loud music, thrift stores, vintage style and is unapologetically black and proud, has entered the chat. Make room, as We will be hearing more from this petite Queen, simply called Sandy.
“Now that the music is out,” she closes off, “there’s going to be more focus on getting to perform live and connect with the people that love my music and the genre. Also, there’s going to be a lot of collaborations with other artists as well.
I am really grateful to everyone who has ever taken their precious time to play and stream my music. I don’t take it for granted, and I’m truly grateful”
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