Shaka Zulu Kiumbe out to conquer the gospel music scene

His friends call him Zulu. His stage name is Shaka Zulu Kiumbe, the ‘kiumbe’ part coming from his faith and belief that he is God’s creation.

The multi-talented artist might not be well known on the local gospel scene, but he wants to change all that. He has chosen music and movie acting as his avenue to fame and fortune.

The 24-year-old, whose real name is Nzulu Munyoki, has so far produced four music videos and five other songs whose videos are being worked on.

His latest release, Nora, was released this week. It’s video is already attracting encouraging traffic on YouTube.

He chose to concentrate on the urban gospel scene, having been born and raised in Nairobi.

He has seen his ups and downs since 2016 when he won the Tetemesha award for the Most Played Artist of the Year.

“My new song Nora is about a girl who had big dreams but, due to bad advice, decided throw her dreams away. The main massage in the song is that you only achieve happiness when you turn in to a Christian way of life,” he told the Saturday Nation.

His life journey has not been easy.

Growing up in in Mukuru Kwa Njenga slums in Nairobi with three siblings, Zulu had to struggle to make ends meet after completing his secondary school education.

“I was not able to continue with my education after Form Four due to financial challenges. My dream was to study journalism,” he said.

He recorded his first song, Nipe, in 2014, which was a prayer to God after going through numerous challenges.

After his secondary school education, he opted to spend most of his time in church, which inspired his choice of music.

“I had to work as a garbage collector, where I would be paid Sh200 after selling my wares. I had to save for months before raising Sh8,000 to pay for a session in a recording studio,” Zulu recalls.

He says every new song he produces reflects the growth and experience he has gained while struggling to build his career.

“My style of music is unique. I believe I will grow in my career and have a wider avenue so as to reach out to those going through similar challenges.”

Zulu says the biggest challenge that comes with creating music is lack of capital since one has to produce a good quality audio with an experienced producer together with good quality videos if one is to meet the market demand. Both are very expensive but one has to do it.

 “Another big challenge is the season or the timing of when to release a song since. Any song release has to be sensitive to time and season,” he says.

Two years ago, he ventured into acting in movies. He has featured in several Swahili movies, some which have been featured on national TV stations Maisha Magic on DSTv.

Among the biggest movies he has featured in include One in a Million, Nganya and Mahasidi, where he stars as the main character.

“Mahasidi is a movie I have played the role of the main character. It focuses on friends who betray each other. One in a Million highlights on the lifestyles and struggle of youths living in informal settlements while Nganya is about the life of matatu operators on the Buru Buru route in Nairobi.

Apart from music and film career, Zulu says he also designs clothes and runs a barber shop in Greenfields estate, Nairobi.