A few years ago Kim Makumbe was asked about how she would like to be remembered, and in response she expressed that she’d like to be remembered as Kim the billionaire. Not necessarily in monetary terms, but as the girl who touched a billion-plus lives, and if this year is anything to go by then she’s surely on her way there.
Now widely recognisable as the female voice on ExQ’s Mashoko, Kim Makumbe has experienced a year of breakout success.
The once timid little 6 year old girl, who wrote music to while up the time, has now seen her dream of making music become a reality. Not just making music too but making it successfully. As Kim relates the story of how she discovered she was meant to make music, her childhood is a major part of it. It all goes back to being a boarder in primary school.
After seeing all the packed food her older sister would get to go with to school, Kim pressured her mother to let her go to boarding school too for her primary education. To which they relented, after a lot of persistence on her part. The boarding life however came with hours upon hours of free time and soon this ignited the songwriter within Kim. An imaginary 12 track album soon came into existence, with 10 tracks gibberish and 2 tracks in basic English.
The daring nature that had her putting together an album before she knew how to, is the exact same boldness she brings to her music. Kim Makumbe refuses to be boxed in. She characterises herself as experimental artist and she’s true to this in the music she makes. From RnB, to Afropop, Soul, Jiti Rap and everything in-between.
“I am not attached to a specific genre; I just create art. It’s usually lyrical and soulful, you definitely feel something as you listen, because of how emotional my writing process is.”
Kim Makumbe
The soundtrack to her life is Time by Hans Zimmer, a song without words, and she has inspirations that include Gemma Griffiths, Ammara Brown and Asa the Nigerian artist. She sings music with emotion, with the hope that it touches someone who listens to it. As she explains, empathy is tied to her expression.
“The whole idea of my brand is for people to get in touch with themselves and be true to their feelings and who they are.”
Kim Makumbe
It’s been 4 years of doing music, with year four seeing her firmly planting her feet in the music industry. In addition to releasing “Ndazvipira” and “Must be love”, Kim collaborated with ExQ on the track Mashoko. A collaboration which saw her being the only female voice to feature on the Urban Grooves giant’s 8th album, Enoch.
As she retells it the collaboration came about due to a stroke of chance. Kim’s producer Rodney Beatz, is good friends with DJ Tamuka, who happens to be ExQ’s producer. During a studio session, Rodney Beatz happened to play Mashoko, a track Kim had done in 2021 without quite completing. ExQ fell in love with it and decided add a verse. Things turned out so good, that next thing Kim and ExQ were working out the track for his album.
Mashoko was one of the instant fan favourites when the album was released, with particular mention of the beautiful dimension Makumbe added with her voice. Since then, in addition to numerous other bookings, the year has seen Kim headlining the Unplugged Festival and getting a cameo on the Jacaranda Music Festival stage – an experience she says will stay with her.
After years of single releases as the singer/songwriter found her place in the music world, the singer says an EP might finally be on the way. She hasn’t committed to a date yet but some time in the near future. The singer is also hinting that her next big collaboration is either already recorded or in the pipeline.
Earlier this year Makumbe was nominated for the Best RnB/Soul category at the Zimbabwe Music Awards 2023. A moment she regards as one of the biggest so far in her career. The singer was also part of the 2022 Scripts & Bars cohort. A life changing platform for creatives that is supported by British Council in partnership with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and led by Page Poetry Alive, Khura Agency, and Comexposed.
Makumbe credits having a great team around her, as one of the keys to her success. She says the people she has around her not only put her in the right places but keep her focused on the things that matter.
Kim Makumbe is part of ‘Tha Plug In’, a Creative showcase by the British Council in partnership with #enthuse Magazine.
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