“I Do This More For Myself Than Anyone Else”: Rising Star Shefsnow Speaks On Her Single “Sake Sake” And Her Future Plans
Fetching her lineage all the way from Gweru, Zimbabwe, singer-songwriter Shefsnow introduced herself as a rolling stone from a young age with dreams of one day becoming a songstress soaked in the buttery glow of the spotlight. Having developed atop the hotbed of a musically charged environment and with the strict encouragement of her sister – her being Beyoncé while her sister was Shakira – Shefsnow took it upon herself to nursemaid her ambitions and to teach herself the art of music till her investment reached maturity with the release of Tasty Treats in 2022. With more music already conceived and well on the way, Shefsnow hasn’t let up as she continues to make it her goal to maximise the potential of her childhood dream.
The principle of iron sharpening iron is one that governed the rising star’s decision to pursue music. Guided by her family whose genes were already coded to resonate with music, she especially credited her sister, who, with her criticism, chiseled Shefsnow’s resolve to hone her artistry and improved the spectrum of her sonic pallet.
“My family was always musically inclined. My dad and his siblings were in a church band together, though that was before my time. When I first started considering music as a career, I was a little self-conscious about it. At first, it was my little secret, but I slowly began to open up, performing mostly for my sister because we shared a room. Honestly, she was always my harshest critic, but she helped me develop my sound early on and pushed me to go to places I was hesitant to explore. As for an actual mentor, there wasn’t really anyone to turn to, just the people around me,” Shefsnow said.
Shefsnow | SUPPLIED
Released towards the end of September 2024, Shefsnow’s single “Sake Sake” is a slow-burning hip-hop treatise infused with classical elements of braggadocio. When Shefsnow isn’t undulating with the triumphant production thanks to facile flow switches, she’s lilting her way through, flexing the zeniths and nadirs of her vocals and her diversified musical portfolio. Shefsnow expanded on the thinking that went into “Sake Sake”.
“‘SAKE SAKE’ was different for me. If you look at my catalog, both released and unreleased, you’ll see that I’m a very versatile artist, and I love to explore vocally. I try not to limit or box myself in, so I’ll always give you something new, fresh, and different. In the studio, I just let it flow—sometimes it starts with harmonies, sometimes with a beat. I worked on this track with the producer of Tasty Treats, so we were already familiar and comfortable. The beat was initially named Saki Saki, so I kind of fed off that and started freestyling. I sat on the beat for a while, and the track only really developed on the day of recording. The inspiration came from my desire to explore and strengthen my self-taught ability to rap. It was more of an experimental single that focused on boosting my alter ego and emphasizing the fact that I’m moving differently—constantly competing with myself, not with other artists or people in general,” she said.
Listen to “Sake Sake”:
Already collecting momentum heading into 2025 which will bring with it the drop of her forthcoming EP The Shef Show, Shefsnow spoke about the complications of being an indie artist, and how many of the decisions she has made leading up to next year have been snagged by overthinking. Caught in the cobweb of upgrading her attributes as an autodidactic musician as well, she assured her followers that even with the struggles, more music was there and that they should stay vigilant for drops.
“Yooooh, so many plans! I feel like, as independent artists, we tend to over-plan and overthink—if that makes any sense. I’m sitting on so many unreleased songs and projects that go way back to 2016. Right now, I’m focused on developing myself as a well-rounded performer and strengthening my abilities so that when my time comes, I’m ready, and not just a one-trick pony. I think a lot of artists these days underestimate the importance of the development process. But for the fans, The Shef Show is definitely something to look out for. I won’t say too much right now, but just keep an eye out for it!” she said.
Focused on remaining faithful to messages packaged as music, Shefsnow viewed music as a fundamentally divine undertaking meant for the good and the benefit of those on the receiving end of it, although she also conceded that she made music more for herself.
“I’ve never been one to fit in. So, I don’t really want to group myself with any particular genre or people and say, ‘Oh, this or that is lacking, and I’m going to be the one to fix it.’ That feels a bit too presumptuous for me. I want to have an impact on people and hope that my words reach those who need them. Music is deeply spiritual, and I’m merely a vessel. The best I can do is stay true to the message I want to send, though even that can change on a dime. Honestly, I do this more for myself than anyone else. I need to make music—it’s my mode of expression, my release, my way of exhaling and healing,” she said.
Shefsnow | SUPPLIED
The journey of being a self-taught anything is a path flanked by multicoloured flowers and trees bearing different kinds of fruits, and the beauty of it all is in one being able to pick whatever they liked en route to their destination. Such was Shefsnow’s taste in its infancy, from incubating in the care of her stepmother to being influenced by pop culture and peers later on in life. Eclectic down to its simplest monomer, she detailed which artists have influenced her styles the most while putting on those 10 000 hours in the booth to stay in shape musically.
“My first real influence was Brenda Fassie. I used to listen to her a lot with my gran as a child. She was wild and carefree, and she really showed me what it meant to be an artist. As a pre-teen, I was heavily influenced by Whitney Houston—my stepmom used to blast all her ballads on Sundays while we cleaned the house. In high school, I started to develop my own taste, and I was really drawn to the R&B girlies: Beyoncé, Aaliyah, and Rihanna initially. Then I entered my Hip-Hop era with Lil Wayne and the YMCMB crew, which made me feel like I needed to be part of a musical group. I was especially inspired by Miguel and Nicki Minaj, who broke away and stood out from the rest. I’m constantly discovering artists who inspire me, both old and new—people like Syd (and The Internet as a collective), Ella Fitzgerald, SAULT, Tyla, Gyptian, Tems, Burna Boy, Sainte, and Jordy,” she said.
True to her identity as an experimental cosmopolite, Shefsnow refused to let herself be pigeonholed as one thing, and doubled down on her wanting to pushing boundaries by not limiting herself and her creativity.
“I want to try out all genres. Honestly, all of them. I can’t limit myself to one genre—that would be absurd. I see myself tapping into every genre, whether I release the music or not is another story, but I want to put myself out there. I want my grandchildren to say, ‘Damn, Grandma, you were so cool, you were so brave.’ You know? No limits,” she said.