P - Unit not ripe for live shows

Kenya’s next big song in my opinion might just be P-Unit’s “Kare”. It has all the ingredients of a hit song: great producer, lyrics, flow, and a catchy concept.

If well marketed and executed, P-Unit might just close the year with this track. But, yes, there is a but. If they perform the song as they did on Saturday at the Face-Off party, they will kill it in a month.

Live performances can make or break a song or worse an artiste. It can change the way I perceive a song or a singer with just one concert and sadly most Kenyan artistes don’t get this.

Now, P-Unit have a brilliant track record when it comes to hits, I have listened to their album and I was so impressed but they need to do something about their live performance.

We were all waiting for “Kare” which I believe that was their first time performing it before a huge crowd like the one that was present at KICC.

The problem is they don’t have a stage presence, you can see them all right, but you can’t feel them! A minute into Kare and the crowd was not as enthusiastic as they were when the song played.

Musyoka needs to sit the boys down and come up with a stage segway like Nonini, Nameless, and Juliani. You don’t have to do the whole song, we already know the track, and we just want a feel of it and how you look or sound when performing it. Got it?

I now see some thought process has been employed in planning a live show and I must say that is a major plus. Let’s start with Amani. She has one of the best live bands around today in Kenya.

The all girls band is half of this singer’s performance and she may just have made one of her best career moves by picking them.

The coordination is one that deserves praise and she doesn’t run out of breath after a few minutes of shaking her body her voice is still controlled, even, smoother.

Seems like she finally understands that in live performance, it is not just about the song, it’s the entire package wardrobe included. She pulled it off perfectly last Saturday at the Face-Off party.

I can bet you half of the guys present cannot tell you the colour of her hair or dress but they will describe how she was dressed. Sexy!

Nonini has also upped that game. He engages his crowd amazingly as does Nameless who now gives at most a minute per track with back up dancers to keep the boys drooling and the girls envying!

Juliani has the most energetic performance that he does it with a live band, and a deejay is commendable. P- Unit has some miles to go.