Rina Mushonga Narcisc0 (2019)
In Greek mythology—and later in Ovid’s Metamorphoses—Narcissus is described as a young man of exceptional beauty who responds with cold indifference to every declaration of love. He roundly dismisses or sneers at all who admire him until the gods punish him by making him fall in love with someone he can never possess. Unaware of the trick, Narcissus becomes captivated by his own reflection in a pool of water. Enchanted by the beauty before his eyes, he loses all sense of the world around him. He remains by the water’s edge, unable to tear himself away, until hunger, despair and longing consume him. At the place where he dies, a flower grows—the narcissus, still bearing his name today.
Fast forward to modernity: The myth of Narcissus laid the foundation for the psychological concept of narcissism, which describes a personality disorder marked by an excessive preoccupation with the self. At its core, narcissism is less about self-love than about a fragile identity propped up by admiration and recognition.
On her 2019 album In a Galaxy, singer-songwriter Rina Mushonga gives one of her tracks the title “Narcisc0”. Who exactly she has in mind remains unsaid, but the reference is no accident. Born in India, raised in Zimbabwe and later based in the Netherlands and the UK, Mushonga brings together Afro-pop, electronic sounds and indie rock. Her lyrics often combine personal stories and wider cultural echoes—and “Narcisc0” leaves plenty of room for both when she sings: “You know I know it’s not about you.”
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