Style Idol: Shingai Shoniwa Issue #41

From the merits of a great ass to the fashion savvy of the Spanish Armada, this Noisette knows her stuff

By Tatyana Kagamas
Published: September 1st, 2009 | 3:37pm

Shingai Shoniwa, bassist and lead singer of dance-rock band the Noisettes, uses her magnetism and diverse personal style to create an unmatched live performance. The band’s newest album Wild Young Hearts saw their second single, “Don’t Upset the Rhythm (Go Baby Go),” hit #2 on the UK Singles Chart, but that’s not the only thing on fire. Regardless of what she’s wearing — outrageous stage costumes or impeccable coiffure — the London-based performer of Zimbabwean descent wears it well.

When you’re getting dressed, how do you choose what you’re going to wear?
“Things that give me confidence. Sometimes you might go to a meeting or something and you have loads of different outfits for different occasions. Mostly it’s something that inspires confidence and makes me excited to walk up and down as a human being.”

What sort of stuff does that for you?
“I’m inspired by a lot of Afrocentric colors and shapes. Things that celebrate hips, thighs, tits. Things that make me feel great about being a girl. We all had awkward teenage times and we’ve tried — some girls don’t want to wear some things that make their bums or their hips look big, but I think that’s all great. If you’ve got a great bum and it’s juicy, it’s great!”

Do you like being styled?
“When stylists work with you and work with your own personal style — otherwise you can just sort of feel like a mannequin. It’s sometimes upsetting seeing women in stuff that makes them uncomfortable.”

Who are some of your style inspirations?
“My grandmother was a ballroom dancer … she’s got all these amazing outfits that she used to make herself and it’s just amazing, almost 19th century Colonial shapes and big African patterns and really tight, ill-fitting shoes. “
What did you dress like as a kid? “I guess I dressed like whoever I wanted to be at the time, like sometimes it would be Joan of Arc.”

Really? How did you dress like Joan of Arc?
“I would get a little sack and make the dress like that. And get a big leather strap, like a belt, my mom’s belt, and tie it around my side.”

There are a lot of elements of fantasy in the way you dress — especially for live shows. How does that affect your live shows and performances?
“It helps the performances. They play off each other. It’s best to wear things that have flexibility and fun in a performance, and things that are exciting to the eye. When I think about doing my hair, perhaps a new shape. I’ve been watching these programs about the Spanish Armada and I’ve been starting to do my hair like that — very 18th century. It can kind of take the edge off the music being so drudged and encased. It’s just extending the act and making it more exciting.”