Though there's reputed to be a mbira (Zimbabwean thumb piano) somewhere in the upbeat mix of guitars and synths, there's not much Africa in his debut album, Saved.

The Afrobeat rhythm on Zambezi, a fictional "memory" of Zimbabwe's liberation from Rhodesia, is a one-off; elsewhere, the clean lines of western urban pop predominate.

His effortless way with melody renders nearly every song absolutely addictive, with the exception of Every Single Day, a corporate-sounding attempt at smoochiness.

Lyrically, he's a social realist, writing of being "19 and looking at a goddam quarter-life crisis/ Two GCSEs and a studio flat in Ruislip" and of how, even in a mundane office job, people still stare "at the colour of my skin, the styling of my hair".

(On Friday, September 3, Tinashe plays before his biggest Zimbabwean audience as a star attraction to the Zimfest along with mbira star Chiwoniso, Mann Friday, Bkay and Kazz, Jusa Dementor, Cassetti, Kamikaze Test Pilots, Mashasha and Sam and DJ Kiochi Sakai. The Zimbabwe Rocks concert will be held at the Clapham Grand in London from 8PM-3AM. CLICK HERE for tickets or visit the Zimfest WEBSITE for more information)

Dan Wootton, the showbiz editor of Britain’s biggest newspaper, the News of the World, says he watched you recently and you reminded him of the singer Mika who has sold millions of albums. That’s a big deal, don’t you think?

It’s a lovely comparison for sure, but the way I look at myself I don’t think I am a mega star. It’s a nice compliment, the comparison means a big deal, but a little guy inside is going ‘I’m unique, I’m my own person and I believe what I’m doing is completely different from what anyone is doing at this particular time’.

Along with the Noisettes’ Shingai Shoniwa, you may very well be Zimbabwe’s first genuine breakthrough artist in the UK. How much influence did your African upbringing have on your first album, certainly the Zambezi track has a museve feel?

I tried to be very careful with that. I’m very conscious of my African roots, I want people in Zimbabwe to be proud of it. I hope what I am doing can be a constant reminder to people in the outside world that Africa is not a place with evil people and stories.

You correctly identified the African story in Zambezi. I wanted to tell a story, a story my mum told me, about fighting for freedom and being in love at the same time. There is a bit of percussion and groove but it’s ultimately just a pop record, I didn’t want to go overboard.

You are now signed to Universal Music. How hard has it been breaking that ceiling, the divider between big record labels and young upcoming artists who want a chance?

It was tough. I tried so many things to get here, I was working hard. There was a time when my mum got ill and I had to put all the hustling on hold to concentrate on her. I think I was 23. I started working night shifts on London Transport, once on Christmas day, just to help us get by.

I spent many years imitating other people. I used to sing hip hop, and I just sounded like everybody else. Then I decided to do something true to me. I recorded a few tracks and put them on the internet.

I got a message from a guy from Columbia Records, who said ‘I love what you are doing, can you come in?’ I was sceptical because I had travelled this same road a few times and nothing came through. When I went to Columbia Records, they offered me a deal immediately. I just cried – here I was, having the worst time of my life surviving on sadza and veges with no meat, and suddenly I’m being offered money. It was a big deal.

In the end though, I didn’t even go with them. I discussed things through with a friend and she said ‘calm yourself down, don’t go. Hang around a bit more and see what happens’. I trusted her and ended up talking to a lot more other people. The president of Universal/Island Records Darcus Beese made an instant impression on me. He didn’t want to change me and what I do.

You are a big fan of mbira. You must be looking forward to sharing the stage with Chiwoniso at the Zimfest in London on Friday?

I play a very westernised style of mbira, and hers is traditional. It would be interesting to see what the two of us can do together.

Zimfest is arguably the biggest Zimbabwean show in the UK. This would be your first time out performing in front of a large Zimbabwean crowd. Looking forward to it?

I’m very anxious to perform there, but kind of nervous. I’m told last year they had Oliver Mtukudzi. That’s obviously a tough act to follow. My style is very contemporary, and I’m gonna get down and give it my best shot, hopefully they like it. That’s why I sing, to get people on my side.

I came to the UK when I was 12 in 1997. My mum had already been here for four years, working as a nurse. She had a great job in Zimbabwe at Dairiboard, and back in the day that made you a somebody in your community, especially with a company car and all. Her and my dad had problems and she decided to move to the UK, leaving me in the care of aunties before I finally joined her. I have an older brother who lives in Jersey.

I read somewhere that you were bullied at school in Hackney because of your African accent. Listening to you now, there is hardly a trace, how did you get Englicised?

When I came over to England, I became acutely aware of my accent and I started to learn to be a Londoner. It was mostly done via watching TV. I had to learn very fast and get streetwise to fit in.

I pray and thank God because my life could have been very different. My band is made up of European kids, and they all understand my tough journey both in my social life and musically. There are four of us – myself, a guitarist, a bass player and a drummer. The drummer is the original member of the group.

All songs you hear from my album come from my head – both sound and lyrics. People don’t understand that sometimes, they think the record label sent me to producers who did everything and just added my voice. I made sure my album sleeve reflected my input, because more often than not, artists find the credit taken away from them.

By the time I signed to Universal, half the album was already done – produced in my bedroom, bass, drums and all. Luckily the people at Universal were good, they sent me to a studio and said go in there and do what you wanna do. One time I bumped into Stevie Wonder recording in a studio next to me. That’s when I knew I had made a big jump.

Musically, I would say Michael Jackson. When I was growing up back home, MJ was huge. When I came over to the UK, I got heavily into break dancing. I stayed with my brother in Jersey a bit and got contracted by some nightclubs there, basically teaching people how to dance.

As time went on, I started exploring a range of styles, pushing through my vocals. I got hooked on Oliver Mtukudzi -- his style, grace, and amazing staying power. For him to be still big to this day, and also be still relevant to our culture, it’s amazing.

There’s been so many. I think it would probably be the cleaning job. I used to go around cleaning offices, it helped me fund my way through college but I absolutely hated it.

I have also had some strange jobs. One time my friend invited me to Australia, and their family had a wine business. So we would basically go around places frequented by people that I would normally not meet in everyday life – middle class and upper class types. Typically, we would go to a racecourse and basically try to flog the wine to rich punters. So I had to explain where the grape comes from, taste it and understand all the types.

My mum wanted me to be a doctor or lawyer, and I didn’t listen. In hindsight, I would have taken a bit more precaution in case this music thing doesn’t work out. I started a degree programme in music and didn’t finish it. I certainly wish I had done something academic.

I have a lack of patience. I sometimes want my career to blossom a lot quicker, I want to be on tour and have my album selling big. But the record deal, the time it took, is a timely reminder that things never work to your timetable, you have to be patient.

Snakes. I remember back home walking to school and coming across them. I went to a zoo once and had one around my neck … it was a blood curdling feeling. Let’s just say I think those things should be left to roam the bush.

I believe there is other life out there. It’s very selfish of us as human beings to think we are the only ones. We’re in this big massive universe … I think there is something out there.

What Is The What by Dave Argues. It’s a story about Sudanese people during the time of war and specifically the struggle of this one man walking across the country being tortured and all, then ending up in America and starting a new life.

What is your definition of hell?
                                                                                                    
A place where you don’t have family, no reward … someone completely putting you down, with no chance to be free. Something very similar to the struggles people back home are going through.

Sky diving for a charity. It was something I always wanted to do. I always thought of it as fascinating. I wouldn’t do it again anytime soon, that’s for sure.

Fools Gold. It’s an American band which plays soukous, rhumba and an amazing fusion of contemporary pop. I performed with them recently, they are really good.

My guitar, and the best book I have -- The Bang Bang Club. The book was put together by foreign and local photographers documenting the excesses of the apartheid regime in South Africa. It’s basically full of the untold stories of that dark period … it was so bad some of the photographers died while making this book.

I’m usually very calm and deliberate. I don’t get angry very easily. I like to think I’m calculated in my speech, the way I talk … I believe your mouth should be able to get you out of any situation. The English language is a very interesting thing, a great asset.

How do you deal with the media. Sometimes they can be harshly critical of your work, and at times quite positive, how do you insulate yourself?

I don’t read newspapers. I would like to think this music is special to me. If a reviewer doesn’t enjoy it, fair enough. I don’t want that to affect the next piece I do. There’s a lot of lazy journalism out there, and I like to keep what I do magical and that means shutting out negativity.

It’s not that I don’t like journalists, but I don’t want to gain an ego from the praise, or get negative energy from the criticism. Unless you are the most level headed person, it’s impossible to not be influenced one way or the other by what the media says about you.

It’s a magical moment when I perform my music, it’s beautiful and I like to keep it that way. My view is please do come into my world, but I also want that space to make music as it naturally comes to me and not be molded into something I’m not.

(reporting by Caroline Sullivan (Guardian) and interview by Mduduzi Mathuthu)

TINASHE: SAVED

TINASHE: ZAMBEZI