Kenyan songbird causing ripples in Ugandan scene
Doreen Akinyi Bahati, a Kenyan singer doing well on the gospel scene in Uganda. PHOTO| COURTESY
What you need to know:
- The stations that have taking to playing her music include Urban TV, Lighthouse TV, Jogoo FM and the Eastern Radio FM Station.
- Notably, her music is also played on the Netherlands-based Uganda Community Radio station.
- Bahati also attributes her rise to stardom to support from fellow singer Harriet Takah, who sings in the Samia dialect of Luhya, which is spoken by the community that straddles the Kenya-Uganda border.
Though her name isn’t familiar on the local music scene, budding singer Doreen Akinyi Bahati is a Kenyan artist, thriving in neighbouring Uganda.
Bahati has earned recognition among music lovers through her blend of contemporary gospel songs and some secular ones.
The Kampala-based songbird sings in Luganda, Samia, Swahili and English. Her music is a regular on Ugandan radio and TV stations.
Speaking to the Saturday Nation, Bahati attributed her success to support from her family.
A few years back it was Ugandan singers causing ripples in Kenya but Bahati is reversing that trend and she is elated at that.
Says she: “Music runs in our genes, right from my grandmother, who was à traditional dancer, to an auntie and uncle who were pretty good singers.”
Bahati was nominated for the VIGA (Victoria Gospel Music Academy) 2015 in Uganda, in the best regional award song category for her song, “Byanasaye” and the Best up-and-coming artiste for her Swahili song, “Yesu ni Bwana”.
She was pitted alongside some of the leading Ugandan gospel artists such as Judith Babirye, Jennifer Mirembe and Brian Lubega.
“Though I didn’t win an award then, this was an eye-opener for me, particularly considering that it was my first time to be nominated in that kind of category of music,” Bahati recalls.
Other popular songs by her include, “Baruwa”, “Ndokola Mukama” and “Niguse Yesu”.
The stations that have taking to playing her music include Urban TV, Lighthouse TV, Jogoo FM and the Eastern Radio FM Station.
Notably, her music is also played on the Netherlands-based Uganda Community Radio station.
Bahati also attributes her rise to stardom to support from fellow singer Harriet Takah, who sings in the Samia dialect of Luhya, which is spoken by the community that straddles the Kenya-Uganda border.
“It was Harriet who inspired me to record in our native Samia language, “ she says.
Internationally, Bahati follows renowned gospel stars such as South African Rebecca Malope, American Cece Winams and the Netherlands-based Congolese family group Makoma.
Her strong spiritual family background explains her love for gospel music.
Bahati attended Lumino High School in Busia Uganda before moving to Namboole High School and Kyambogo College in Kampala.
She later joined Kyambogo University for a diploma in procurement and logistics management.
She also performs at crusades and at the Christian Deliverance Ministry in Kampala and at the Catholic Church in Busia Uganda. Later this year, she is looking forward to taking her music across the borders, with performances planned for in Busia, Kenya, Eldoret, Nakuru , Nairobi, and Arusha in Tanzania.
“My ambition is to promote the interaction of Kenyan, Ugandan, and Tanzanian artistes through gospel music”. she says.
She is currently been working on a gospel reggae song in English, and prove that a prophet can also be recognised back home, as her music takes root in Kenya as well.
Some years ago, it was Ugandan artistes who crossed the border to Kenya in search of fame in East Africa’s strongest economy, and a country that enjoyed stability when their own was ravaged by armed conflicts. The Uganda came to either record their music in Nairobi’s superior studios or take part in live concerts. In the 1970s and 80s there was the popular Ugandan drummer, Kasule Mopepe, who came to with the Congolese band, Orch Les Kinois, then led by Samba Mapangala.
