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Rising star Gemma Griffiths to headline Zim Achievers
17 Apr 2016 at 23:45hrs | Views
Rising Star, Gemma Griffiths to Headline Zim Achievers
Armed with an acoustic guitar and poignant lyrics, emerging Indie/folk songstress Gemma Griffiths will this year headline the sixth anniversary of the Zimbabwe Achievers Awards (ZAA), in London on Saturday 7 May.
Following in the footsteps of global stars like Tinashe, Prudence and Chashe, this will be Gemma's maiden performance at the premium red carpet event that will be held at the five-star Royal Garden hotel in the iconic district of Kensington.
"I am so excited to be performing at the Zim Achievers. I have heard so many wonderful things about the event and seen the passion of the organisers, and I cannot wait to be a part of what I believe is going to be a memorable occasion." Gemma said.
"I am geared for the night and guests should look forward to new and eclectic vibes" Gemma added.
Well-known for her rendition of Andy Brown's Mapurisa, Gemma was born in Cape Town, South Africa but grew up in Harare, Zimbabwe. The indie/folk sensation has performed in a variety of music and arts festivals in Zimbabwe, including the Harare International Festival of Arts (HIFA) where she has appeared twice and ‘Miombo Magic' where she has also made two appearances.
Griffiths headlined Zimfest in London last year and with a perfect treasure of harmonious melodies sung with heart and soul, she proved to be a rousing showcase of an artist with a bright future ahead.
Gemma attended Chisipite Senior School in Harare where she was the Head of Music in her senior year, as well as the orchestral and choir leader.
After graduating high school, Gemma knew she wanted to pursue a career in music and attended Snow College in Utah, USA, on a trumpet scholarship, where she studied for a commercial composition degree as a songwriter.
With a heterogeneous musical style that has elements of jazz infused,
Gemma writes all of her own songs and plays the piano, trumpet and guitar on many of her tracks.
"Most of my inspiration is drawn from artists like Noel Jones and to an extent Sam Smith - I love his writing style and how his music is so relatable." Gemma said.
"My influence comes from experiences and from listening to different artists and genres of music. I am a firm believer that you can learn something from every musician" she added.
A woman of many talents, on top of music, Gemma is an avid painter as well as a trained ballroom, Latin and ballet dancer. The gifted all-rounder waltzed and sambaed her way through the Latin and ballroom gold level national championships in Zimbabwe, winning two years in a row.
"Ballroom is one of my many passions and I feel alive on the dancefloor. It is something that I will always make time for."
"Music, art and dancing are among the most important and treasured things in my life and they have taken me on many adventures. I don't think life would be as exciting without any of these elements that make me who I am," Gemma added.
Gemma has also been involved in musical theatre and has performed at the Reps Theatre on a number of occasions. She has filmed a number of music videos as well as a selection of recording session videos and covers, and an album could be on the cards soon.
"I am enjoying the place I am in at the moment and looking forward to the amazing journey that 2016 still has to offer – it has only just begun and I am looking forward to what is coming in the next couple of months." she said.
Now in its sixth year, the awards have become a permanent fixture on the Zimbabwean community calendar and celebrate the accomplishments of individuals and organisations in fields that include business, sport, entertainment, arts and culture. The awards this year are sponsored by the Econet Groups umbrella companies: Eco-cash Diaspora, Chitoro and Steward Bank.
Tickets are still being sold exclusively on the Zim Achievers website for £89.95 and can be purchased from zimachievers.com.
The ZAA organisers have encouraged the public to use the last few days to get their tickets as the ticket deadline draws closer. Ticket sales will end on the 29th of April.
Voting for this year's awards is still underway and the profiles of this year's nominees are featured on zimachievers.com; and detail the remarkable achievements of the shortlisted candidates. All votes can be cast at http://www.zimachievers.com/uk/nominees/ and voting will end on the 29th of April.
Armed with an acoustic guitar and poignant lyrics, emerging Indie/folk songstress Gemma Griffiths will this year headline the sixth anniversary of the Zimbabwe Achievers Awards (ZAA), in London on Saturday 7 May.
Following in the footsteps of global stars like Tinashe, Prudence and Chashe, this will be Gemma's maiden performance at the premium red carpet event that will be held at the five-star Royal Garden hotel in the iconic district of Kensington.
"I am so excited to be performing at the Zim Achievers. I have heard so many wonderful things about the event and seen the passion of the organisers, and I cannot wait to be a part of what I believe is going to be a memorable occasion." Gemma said.
"I am geared for the night and guests should look forward to new and eclectic vibes" Gemma added.
Well-known for her rendition of Andy Brown's Mapurisa, Gemma was born in Cape Town, South Africa but grew up in Harare, Zimbabwe. The indie/folk sensation has performed in a variety of music and arts festivals in Zimbabwe, including the Harare International Festival of Arts (HIFA) where she has appeared twice and ‘Miombo Magic' where she has also made two appearances.
Griffiths headlined Zimfest in London last year and with a perfect treasure of harmonious melodies sung with heart and soul, she proved to be a rousing showcase of an artist with a bright future ahead.
Gemma attended Chisipite Senior School in Harare where she was the Head of Music in her senior year, as well as the orchestral and choir leader.
After graduating high school, Gemma knew she wanted to pursue a career in music and attended Snow College in Utah, USA, on a trumpet scholarship, where she studied for a commercial composition degree as a songwriter.
With a heterogeneous musical style that has elements of jazz infused,
Gemma writes all of her own songs and plays the piano, trumpet and guitar on many of her tracks.
"Most of my inspiration is drawn from artists like Noel Jones and to an extent Sam Smith - I love his writing style and how his music is so relatable." Gemma said.
A woman of many talents, on top of music, Gemma is an avid painter as well as a trained ballroom, Latin and ballet dancer. The gifted all-rounder waltzed and sambaed her way through the Latin and ballroom gold level national championships in Zimbabwe, winning two years in a row.
"Ballroom is one of my many passions and I feel alive on the dancefloor. It is something that I will always make time for."
"Music, art and dancing are among the most important and treasured things in my life and they have taken me on many adventures. I don't think life would be as exciting without any of these elements that make me who I am," Gemma added.
Gemma has also been involved in musical theatre and has performed at the Reps Theatre on a number of occasions. She has filmed a number of music videos as well as a selection of recording session videos and covers, and an album could be on the cards soon.
"I am enjoying the place I am in at the moment and looking forward to the amazing journey that 2016 still has to offer – it has only just begun and I am looking forward to what is coming in the next couple of months." she said.
Now in its sixth year, the awards have become a permanent fixture on the Zimbabwean community calendar and celebrate the accomplishments of individuals and organisations in fields that include business, sport, entertainment, arts and culture. The awards this year are sponsored by the Econet Groups umbrella companies: Eco-cash Diaspora, Chitoro and Steward Bank.
Tickets are still being sold exclusively on the Zim Achievers website for £89.95 and can be purchased from zimachievers.com.
The ZAA organisers have encouraged the public to use the last few days to get their tickets as the ticket deadline draws closer. Ticket sales will end on the 29th of April.
Voting for this year's awards is still underway and the profiles of this year's nominees are featured on zimachievers.com; and detail the remarkable achievements of the shortlisted candidates. All votes can be cast at http://www.zimachievers.com/uk/nominees/ and voting will end on the 29th of April.
Source - Tidi Kwidini
