Lucky 17: Mimi Mars on coming out of her famous sisters’ shadows
Tanzanian singer and media personality Mimi Mars, popularly known as the Chugga Queen, reflects on surviving a near-fatal accident, embracing her scars and preparing to release her long-awaited debut album, 17.
Marianne Namshali Mdee, known to many as Mimi Mars, speaks Kiswahili with a distinct Arusha accent. Ask any Tanzanian and they will tell you that the A-town accent (as they call it) has a character of its own, packed with unique Swahili slang and expressions rarely heard elsewhere in the country. Yet when Mimi switches to English, she is just as fluent, with little trace of that heavy accent.
But there is more to Mimi Mars, aka the Chugga Queen, than the way she speaks, glam, and bubbles. She comes from a family where fame is part of everyday life. The journey began with her elder sister, Tero Mdee, who became a household name in Kenya in the early 2010s as the lively host of KTN's teen music show Str8 Up.
