ONE ON ONE: Cece Sagini

Cece Sagini is a fairly new entrant in the mainstream music industry. She has however been building towards her moment in the spotlight through her small but vital live performances.

BUZZ: What genre of music do you sing?

I’m an urban contemporary artiste.

In your second single "Feel It" you talk about changing certain life situations, is about you?

The one thing that is a great constant in life is change. How we tackle situations or how we perceive it really matters.

I urge people to be pioneers of positive change. I have grown to be confident in myself but I always challenge myself to be better.

Was this song inspired by your life experiences?

A great part of it was, as well as the people around me. We all want certain things to go in a certain direction but we don’t want to break a sweat for it hence we end up not achieving.

What exactly was going on in your life that inspired part of the song?

We all want a lavish lifestyle and many young guys would find themselves in circles living or selling a lifestyle they cannot afford. That is what also greatly inspired me to write this song because I saw it around the people I knew.

You do socially conscious music, where do you categorise it, gospel, secular or just conscious music?

I often do not categorise it because I will sing about man’s relationship with God and man’s relationship with man all in line with motivating and inspiring.

With a voice that rivals many musicians in the industry, why do you think you haven’t become a big hit?

(Laughs) Everything has its timing. The break out is coming soon if it hasn’t yet started. Feel It being my second official release, I feel the welcome into the industry has been great. It is a journey that has just started and I am excited about it.

What is Cece On a Mission? When did it start and what are you hoping to achieve?

Cece on A Mission is like a slogan for me that is a constant reminder of where I would love to be and it also serves as motivation and inspiration to myself and others: ‘If I’m doing it, we all can. It started on December 31, I was done with changing my resolutions every year so I chose something that will be a constant in my life. The destination is undefined and unlimited.

Why did it take a year for you to release another song?

I was mastering my skill if I could say that. Being an artiste is not as direct as it seems, you need to know your sound, understand your target market and polish up as much as possible.

Do you now understand your target market well and what they want or need to hear from you?

I can say I do understand but it is a learning process. One thing I know for sure is that they need good content and consistency.

Do you have a management team for your music or are you going it alone?

Yes I do have a team that is helping me.

Did you study music in school?

I studied marketing and entrepreneurship in USIU.

How hard or easy was it to take on music as a serious job?

I feel it is all a mental state. Just like any job, music is a business and to maximise its potential you really have to put in a lot of effort and be mentally ready to treat it as a source of revenue stream so for me it was never hard to take it seriously.

Let’s talk about fashion, what are your favourite pieces to wear? What colours do you like to play around with?

I love retro leather jackets, scarfs, big brim hats and on a chilled day yoga pants. Earthly colours often pull me but once in a while I’d go for electric secondary colours or pastel colours.

Do you have something else planned after "Feel It"?

Yes I do have more and more music planned out as well as I’m planning a concert; the date is to be soon revealed. This girl is here to stay.

Will you do an album or are you concentrating on singles first?

I’m currently working on an EP which I will then release as singles.

Do you have anyone in mind that you want to work with?

I do have a couple of artistes I would like to collaborate with in Kenya and the whole of Africa. Currently I have my eye on H_Art the Band.

Apart from your friends and family who else has been supporting your musical journey?

Deejays have been really supportive especially Dj Crème de la Crème, Hypnotiq and Xclusive. Shamir and the whole Mseto team have also been looking out for me, which I really appreciate. I can’t really pinpoint a specific person but there are artistes who have been really instrumental in giving advice and mentoring me.

Whose music are you keenly following on the Kenyan front and why?

I am currently following Sauti Sol. In their own way they seem to have understood the industry and they are mapping Kenya on international platforms of which we are super proud of.

Is there anything that you dislike about the music industry?

I would like to see more innovation and creativity in terms of creating and pushing content out.

@jmmosongo