Netsayi Chigwendere - Adjustments

Adjustments is an new operetta which seeks to set a fresh agenda for African music and for the contribution of African arts to British contemporary culture. 

Addressing modern Britain’s attitude to colonization within the framework of a tender love story, Adjustments is a response to a genuine curiosity about the interplay between music and words, and their capacity to address complicated political and philosophical questions. Musically, this work aims to marry traditional African sounds, instruments and lyrical themes with unlikely bedfellows to push forward creative and political boundaries.  For example, the juxtaposition of the ancient tradition of Shona praise poetry with urban slam, western classical strings with rustic folk, will be used to subvert political resonances and meanings.  With this work, Netsayi aims to create a project that challenges and respects Western and African musical traditions, setting a new standard in innovation amongst African and British artists.

Netsayi is a singer/songwriter who was born in London and grew up in Harare, Zimbabwe. Her debut album was described as “refreshingly, startlingly excellent” in Mojo magazine and “one of the finest albums of the year” by The Guardian.  Among other events and festivals, she has performed at the London Jazz Festival, London African Music Festival, The Amsterdam Roots Festival, Sauti Za Busara in Zanzibar, Harare International Festival of the Arts and Kippies in Johannesburg.  She’s opened for some of the most respected stars of Afro/jazz, Hip-hop and blues including Hugh Masekela, K’naan, Omar, Boubacar Traore and Johnny Clegg. Collaborators on the project will include acclaimed author Patrick Neate and leading Shona poet Chirikure Chirikure, musician and Whitbread nominated novelist Luke Sutherland and Alies Sluiter as Musical Director.

“Netsayi has had critical acclaim for her recent work and this concept shows real ambition to develop a new frontier in the use of African musics within British culture.” New Music Award panel

Do you think the project will create something musically new? Would you like to see the resulting performance? Click here to let us know your thoughts...

Responses so far

"Netsayi is one of the most intellectually challenging and creative forces of our time. Her energy and passion for engaging the audience in an emotional/thoughtful dialogue make her one of the best on the music scene today. Netsayi is a true fusion of her Zimbabwean roots and Western cultural/musical influences! Can't wait to see Adjustments!"

"I feel that it's vital to support work that challenges categorisation. I was a great admirer of Netsayi's "Chimurenga Soul" for precisely that reason. It was as funny as it was chastening to read the critical response to that album - was it "pop", "jazz" or "world", they fretted? Surely the point is that it was musically original, thematically interesting and emotionally engaging. I for one look forward to seeing Adjustments."

"Netsayi is a fantastic artist - and I would definitely say that she is creatively adventurous - she effectively combines diverse musical, cultural and emotional influences - to make genuinely original songs that inspire and challenge notions of both African and 'western' music."