Staying power of Kenyan musicians

From its early stages, the local music scene has seen many artistes come and go, from one hit wonders to legends in the making. But who or what decides how long an artiste remains relevant?

The Kenyan music industry has grown in leaps and bounds over the last few years. As a country that started out with a handful of music shows on television and radio, Kenya seems to be maturing fast.

Gone are the days that it was a no-brainer when it came to which music show one could watch since audiences had few choices. Among the few music shows were Mizizi, Rap’em, Jam-a-delic and Kass Kass. It is safe to say that no one under the age of 20 years is aware that these shows once existed.

But after NTV introduced The Beat, other television stations followed suit and shows like Xtreme, Club 1 and H2O came into existence. And just as these music shows grew to become household names, so did the musicians.

From the 1990s, a new crop of artistes in the Kenyan music industry like Kalamashaka, Hardstone, In-Tu, Majizee, Mercy Myra, Ndarlin P, K-rupt, Necessary Noize, Nameless, Nikki, Didge, Kleptomaniacs, Redsan, Five Alive and many others paved way for the numerous artistes that have now flooded the vibrant music industry. They now form a huge part of the local entertainment sector.

As the years progressed, not all of them stood the test of time, bringing to mind the Darwinian theory of evolution whose centrepiece is survival of the fittest.

While some have become household names and others have even found success beyond the borders, many seem to have fallen off the face of the earth into oblivion.

So what have those who have managed to stay relevant done differently from those whose sell-by-date long passed?

Arguably, the success stories are written by moving with the times, embracing the ever changing music styles, re-invention, and having passion to complement raw talent.

Such artistes have staying power — they were the strongest and they survived.
They may not command your full attention at their concerts or get you singing along to their songs word for word. They are not the type of artistes who will make you feel like you have got value for money. But compared to the rest, they did something right or just got lucky.

It happens.

CONTENT MATTERS

There are artistes who can only sing about women, how much bling they wear, how much money they have, waking up in new Bugattis, popping bottles and living the good life. Many fans like to hear and dance to such music most of the time.

But content is key. As much as people would like to forget their real world problems and issues affecting them, even if only for a short time, at some point these must be dealt with.

Once in a while it does not hurt to switch from party songs to “serious music”. Music is a language that is understood the world over and, therefore, a tool used to communicate about issues. Eric Wainaina’s Daima Mkenya will forever be remembered as one of Kenya’s greatest peace songs, and election after election, disaster after disaster, it will always remind Kenyans about the Black, Red, White and Green.

Juliani’s great lyricism in his songs, which fans can usually relate with, will still rock the airwaves long after his retirement. Exponential Potential, Bahasha ya Ocampo, and Utawala are great songs focusing on social issues. Jaguar has also lent his voice through Kigeugeu and Matapeli in exposing social vices. Love him or hate him, he has a point in Kigeugeu.

According to Mejja, content matters a lot because “no legend ever hit with a party song”. Legends like Tupac, Bob Marley, Aretha Franklin and Daudi Kabaka sang about racism and black empowerment among other social issues. That is perhaps why other artistes are re-making those hits.

Mejja believes when an artiste makes a song, it should not be for the sole purpose of just being a club banger because that exposes it to the risk of being forgotten as soon as a new one is churned out.

“I don’t make music just so that people listen to it in the club. I want people to listen to my songs long after they have reached home, too. Songs like Real Warrior and Do Me were once hits but they have long been replaced by a hundred others,” he says.

APING ARTISTES

Every musician has someone they look up to and would love to emulate.

But that does not mean an artiste should just copy someone else’s persona and work entirely. There can only be one Nikki Minaj and one T.I.

Mejja supposes the majority of upcoming artistes ape too much to the extent of sounding American rather than Kenyan.

“This is what Kenya does not understand. Why don’t Akon and Kanye West sign Kenyan artistes to their record labels, but pick from Nigeria? That’s because they (Nigerians) are fresh and original.

They largely sing in their own tongue and although half the time we do not know what they are singing, we find ourselves bobbing our heads to their music,” says Mejja.

But Avril does not believe an artiste just steals another’s style. Instead, she thinks one is usually inspired by someone else.

“Once an artiste has written a piece, however much it may sound like someone else’s work, it is still their piece,” she says, adding that an artiste’s career will be short-lived if they lack the patience and expect immediate results hence choosing to liken their style to someone else’s to gain quick recognition.

CREATIVITY AND VERSATILITY

The consensus seems to be that artistes need to think out of the box. For example, Afroman sang about how he couldn’t clean his room, pay child support, and go to court — all because he got high. And Bamboo rapped about “nyama ya ngombe, ugali kachumbari ili watu wasikonde” in Tunapenda Zote.

There’s a bottomless pit of ideas waiting to be turned into songs. And as much as the ideas are many, musicians are continuously faced with the challenge of conforming to the new music styles that come up faster than albums are released.

“Creativity and dynamism play very big roles in staying relevant in the industry. You have to always be ready to re-invent yourself with the times and be patient enough for the industry to accommodate you at the initial stages,” says Avril.

She, however, does not think that anyone can predict the longevity of an artiste’s career but “you can tell that the music of many of the stars who paved the way for us in this industry will remain in our hearts, minds and dancing feet forever”.

To her, artistes like Amani, Nonini, Wyre, Nameless, Wahu, and Eric Wainanina have definitely stood the test of time.

Avril hopes that in 20 years she will still make the cut as one of the best female artistes in the mainstream music industry. Still, she cautions that anyone joining the music scene should not do it for the glitz and glam or for just being famous.

Sometimes it also helps to take a break and regroup.

Justin Timberlake took a long break from music only to come back hotter and fresher with an amazing album.

Whatever strategy artistes choose to employ to stay relevant and keep fans talking, they just have to remember that fans are watching and the clock is ever ticking.