Take 5: Ciano Maimba

Ciano Maimba is not your ordinary 23-year-old. He's an award-winning a musician with a number of songs and music awards under his belt. With his music, he seeks to 'embody the human experience.'

1.What sparked off your singing career?

At first I started singing because when I was very young, my nursery school teacher kept telling me there was something unique in my voice.

But looking back now, I believe I started singing because at one point in my life I felt very lonely, and music was the only thing that made life worth living.

2. In your opinion, what is a good song? What is your all-time favourite song?

A good song is one that is crafted to make people feel something profound. I can’t pick just one song, because my taste changes depending on my situation at that moment.

Currently, my favourite song is the one I wrote recently titled “Admit It”. But that could change by tomorrow!

3. What do you think about Kenyan music? Why don’t some people appreciate it?

Kenyan music is rich. In my opinion, many people don’t appreciate it because they base their views only on the songs the media chooses to popularise, yet this does not always paint the true picture.

4. What do you think needs to change in the music industry so that musicians retire honourably?

To start with, we need to put in place the necessary infrastructure. For instance, there are no clear structures to support anonymous writers, and no mechanisms to follow up on compensation when one’s music ideas are used without their consent.

The focus is always directed at enforcing the aquisition of licenses by radio and public service vehicle, and this limits the success of musicians.

With the current systems, one can only earn from airplay, album sales and concerts.

Also, there is no standard system for charging clients, which makes it difficult for us to quantify our services.

This could be remedied if all musicians sat down and came up with a comprehensive guidebook specifying how much musicians should be paid.

5. Who are you listening to now?

 I am currently enjoying Stevie Wonder, Kato Change, Richard Bona and Jacob Collier.