Lit Music’s journey to ‘Redemption’: Hope, finally, for a forgotten industry
Gospel singer Brian Juma, better known as Redemption, is one of Lit Music newest signings. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
Redemption’s testimony of enduring hardship in a tough industry is a story much-familiar to his professional pears.
Most artistes say that the industry still lacks a structured, centralised body to regulate the production, sale and consumption of music.
They also argue that the industry is held back by a few issues.
Lit Music, like much-needed light, promises to shine a ray of hope into the darkness of the country’s music industry, which has for long wallowed in the doldrums. The record label is already making headways and turning around the careers of artistes it has signed on.
Gospel singer Brian Juma, better known as Redemption, is one of the record label’s newest signings. He is thankful for Lit Music for having revived his career. He started his musical journey at the tender age of 13 years when he was in primary school and was the soloist for his school’s music group.
ENDURE HARDSHIP
However, he started being serious in the art in 2013 when he released his first song, ‘This Life’, before releasing his second song, called ‘Crossing Over’, in 2014.
“The song ‘This Life’ was nominated in the Groove Awards for ragga/reggae song of the year. I come from a humble family and being raised by a single mother has taught me that it doesn’t matter where you were born, it’s where you are going that counts,” he says.
Redemption’s testimony of enduring hardship in a tough industry is a story much-familiar to his professional pears. Most artistes say that the industry still lacks a structured, centralized body to regulate the production, sale and consumption of music. They also argue that the industry is held back by a few issues.
UNTAPPED TALENT
From lack of transparency for artistes on revenues earned through their music, to lack of support for new and independent artistes looking to break into mainstream radio and online channels, and event organisers favouring international artistes rather than home-grown talent.
All these ills point poignantly to an industry at its nascent stages struggling to break through a tough international market in order to earn real revenue for the talent that underwrites it. Enter Lit Music, then...
“That is what the Lit Music record label is here to do. It is a platform to nurture, recruit, develop, manage and promote local music talent. We are looking to empower untapped talent who would otherwise not have the opportunity to share their work with millions of Kenyans yearning for new music,” says Lit Music project coordinator, Diallo Gatabaki.
