Carola's band Shada came together in the late 80's with the aim of creating an authentic Tanzanian sound. The band was born out of a reaction to what was then known as Tanzania Music.
The Dance scene was dominated by Cuban rhythms with a strong Congolese influence. This music was an outcome of the history of music in this country and most of the classical Tanzanian songs were written during this time.
Carola passionately says "Much as we loved this music, we felt that the real essence of the vast array of traditional Tanzanian music was totally ignored. So we decided to research and write songs that have an authentic Tanzanian touch in them".
The only founding members of Shada still with the band are Carola Kinasha and Athanas Lukindo. Sadly four of the founding members have passed away whilst four members have moved on to other projects.
The band currently consists of Carola, Athanas Lukindo (Keyboard), Norman Bikaka (Guitar), Teddy Mbaraka (Bass), Mohamed Omari (Percussion) and Miraji Hussein (Drums). The band also utilises various session musicians.