Nigeria

Hello everyone,

Firstly i want to say sorry for being so quiet. I have been shooting videos, recording music and traveling Africa (big smile). I haven’t even had time to look at myself in the mirror.

Well like i said i have been traveling and i tell you i really want to tell you about Nigeria. They are an amazing people. I had really wrong information about the country. I heard i would be harassed coming into the country, i heard i would be bum rushed by people at the airport that would rob me, but oh no, it was great! The airport was calm very well organized and like every other African country over staffed with 2 people doing the job of 1.

The roads from what i remember were really good, i think they took from the Americans and have their kind of road systems with flyovers and all. The energy in the place was to die for. Everything was so alive, even just watching from the van on the drive to the hotel you could tell the place was hot, like if i had to  give Nigeria a colour it would be red. The artists including myself were taken into a kind of estate where, just like in Kenya most houses are in estates, you drive in a gate and there are several gates inside with houses. Now when we stoped by the gate i was like i suppose we are staying at someones house???when we walked in the gate was a whole miniature hotel which was really well done. The people and the service was good in a strange way, the Nigerians have a way about them that seems abrupt but its just the way they are, you begin to accept it quickly and you even start to talk like them without even realizing it.

We were taken out of course! and again the night life there is very alive we walked into one place and it was filled with people dancing, laughing and singing (live music), comedy and oh man it felt like i was in an American movie in the 60’s, if you get me. Now coming in to this place you would not expect this at all. it was again in a sort of estate where you drive through a security gate the road turns mar-rum when you turn in, there are cars parked on either side of the road so getting by is not easy and then, this is the best part, when you walk in there is like a walkway like you know where you hang clothes in town houses here in Kenya, ya like that and then there are barbecues roasting meat and then you walk through the next door and there it is…. life in its true form.

We were announced and we were made to feel very welcome. That is one thing i will never forget about Nigerians they are so welcoming sharing and then, as i was told, they would rob you all at the same time but guess what they do it in a caring way lol. The promoter said to me, even if we take from you there is no reason why we should hurt you feelings at the same time!!!! lol i just laughed. So even if i had the most amazing time and felt so well treated they told me to still be aware lol.

Well, the show we did was amazing, no matter what you say about Nigerians, they were organized. The show started on time and finished on time. We had food immediately after the show so they didn’t just let us starve. They had drinks back stage for those who drink and for those who don’t. They made sure we were entertained at all times. I mean the hospitality made you really feel like a star, they appreciated me even if they didn’t know my music, Great bunch of people I must say.

Nigeria hope to see you again soon.

Where am i today?

Ok so where am I today? I am now working to become an African Artist. Before I had restricted myself to Kenya and my music was not crossing over.  They would play it now and again in other African countries but just once in a while.  Now, all this means is that I just have to do 2 or 3 tracks that other influences can accept and the they will accept all or most of my music.

To accomplish something different you have to do something different, this is a quote that keeps crossing my path. It was sent to me in an email (you know the ones that you delete as they sometimes look like spam). It was said to me in a conversation and the last one was in my devotional that I read everyday written by Joyce Myer. I want to accomplish big things; I want to take Africa to different heights. I want to show the world that we too have the ish!

Why do we feel we are different and cannot cross over? I have been hitting that wall every time I talk of a sound that crosses over. People saying no you can’t do music like that, you have to do music Kenyans will accept. Well have you listened to the radio lately or have you been in our clubs lately???? We listen to international music like 90% of the time, most of the time we listen to American, European and now Nigerian music. So why can’t I do international sounding music? Also the expectation from us as Africans is something we have accepted as well but the Nigerians have showed us that we can reject this and build our own sound and make it accepted across all areas.

I was in the gym the other day and I heard a Nigerian sound but when I listened carefully I noticed the person singing was singing in an Indian dialect and there were Indian women working out and jamming to the track. I was like wow this is possible. We as Kenyans forget Africans even; need to be more open-minded when it comes to music.

So having said all this, I have decided to change my image. I am incorporating African fusion with modern day style; a kind of east meets west, as that’s who I am in essence. My father is British/Irish and my mother is Kenyan/Somali, so that’s me!

Now I am not doing all this myself, I have decided to do it professionally……… so guess who is now inputting in my look ……. None other than the great Patricia Mbela https://twitter.com/#!/PatMbela Ok so this girl is awesome [she has an awesome eye, fantastic vision and definitely an open mind.

The other person who I will definitely be bringing on board next is Muthoni Njoba http://www.facebook.com/mnjoba?ref=ts. We worked together on my new video that is to come out before the end of the month and when you see the makeup all I can say is, you will agree with me, she definitely gives a look of an international standard, and that’s part of my new image right? Acceptable internationally!!!

Well that’s me for now all I can hope for is that just because I am looking bigger my Kenyan people wont see it as I have moved on, NO I hope you see it as WE are moving bigger.

 

Love always people and speak soon