About

Amy & The Calamities is the creation of solo artist, Amy Wawn, a musician and singer-songwriter from Zimbabwe. As a solo performer, Amy’s style ranges from foot-stomping rhythms and folk melodies to the dirty-delicious sounds of delta blues on the slide guitar, with her own signature vocals and thoughtful lyrics.

The ‘Calamities’ is a title that grew organically over time, stemming from the various comedic mishaps on stage, the odd coincidences, and the regular antics of jovial friends and fans. The name has also come to represent a kind of spontaneity in performing. In Zen philosophy, spontaneity is believed to be the source of some of the best art. The idea is that, as well as being well trained in your medium, your instrument or your voice, you should always allow for mistakes or changes that arise from the spontaneous and original nature of the human being. You cannot plan the mistakes or practice them, but rather you can aim (rather paradoxically) “to become the kind of person who, without intending it, is a source of marvellous accidents.”

Amy studied piano from a young age, and began learning guitar and violin in her teens. After being accepted to the University of Cape Town for a music degree in Composition and Performance, she decided to take a break from classical training and instead studied a degree in languages and translation, whilst focusing more on the guitar and songwriting. She began performing in her hometown of Bulawayo in 2015. Over the last two years, Amy has performed at several major festivals and events around Zimbabwe both as a solo act, and in a trio consisting of percussionist Nigel Mzingaye (Mzie) and electric guitarist Jonathan Wise.

Amy is now living and performing full time as a solo artist in London. She is also in the exciting process of recording her first EP – The Suspects. Look out for the release date, to be announced in the next few that next few months!