From pageant queen to music star
ZIMBABWEAN songstress Queen Vee’s path into the music industry has been a little unconventional. Born Vanessa Sibanda in Gweru, a city rich in minerals, she claimed her share of the pot of gold when she entered and won Miss Zimbabwe in 2009.
Her path into showbiz was initiated many years earlier when she would stay in her room practising her modelling poses and catwalk moves in front of the mirror while her two brothers, one younger and one older, would hang out without her “doing their boys stuff”.
Coming from a music-loving family where her dad, an avid collector of music, exposed her to different genres at a young age, she always dreamed of becoming a superstar. Inspired by artists such as Madonna, Aaliyah, Brenda Fassie, Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, she started writing and singing at the age of 8 and began picturing herself in the spotlight making good music and performing.
But she soon was drawn deeper into modelling as she grew older, which lead her to winning Miss Zimbabwe.
“Being an ambassador of plus-minus 14 million people is a big task for anyone,” she said. “My title was beyond just that of Miss Zimbabwe. I was also a tourism ambassador and strongly felt the true Zimbabwean stories were not being told accurately globally. I remember during the Miss World camp in 2009 most of the interviews I did with the media were about the political situation… People really did not understand or know much about Zimbabwe and believed that the dark side that was being reported was all that Zimbabwe was about. So mine was not an easy task because my being at Miss World for me was a mission to try and sell the beauty of Zimbabwe. It wasn’t just about me winning but more about putting my country on the global map and leaving a positive mark.”
During her tenure as Miss Zimbabwe, she released a single titled My Zimbabwe. “It was such an honour and a very big responsibility. Hence my entire work, be it in the entertainment industry had to exude that excellence and I have maintained that.”
After relinquishing her crown as Miss Zimbabwe, she moved to SA in 2010 in an attempt to take her modelling career to the next level. She joined an agency with which she finished as the second runner-up at the Top Model of the World competition held in Germany in 2011. After meeting reggae dance hall star Buffalo Souljah soon after, she gave him one her songs to listen to. He loved it and after featuring on the song, went on to sign her to his label, United Nations of Africa.
But her transition from model to singer has not been welcomed by everyone, she said. “The world does not take kindly to new entrants in the music industry, especially if you are coming from a successful background from a different career path. I remember being heavily criticised and being told by some to stick to modelling. But I had to soldier on and focus more on the positives.”
Queen Vee kicked off 2017 in style by releasing the up-tempo pop ballad, Nobody.
She says: “It was largely inspired by the power of love and appreciation. Nobody is a love and sensual song about a woman who appreciates how her man makes her feel content in their relationship and is encouraging him to continue pleasing her because he is the only one that knows how to. Nobody else does it better than him.”