Off the deathbed

Yesterday, high riding Kenyan pop music group Elani released two contrasting videos to their singles Zuzu and Barua ya Dunia. While Zuzu is a club party song, Barua ya Dunia is a video with a laidback feel and a deep message on life’s challenges. The two singles are a departure from the group’s previous smash tracks Jana Usiku, Koo Koo and Milele, the latter two mellow tunes that defined Elani’s position in the music arena as a major breakthrough. The videos, which are Ogopa Deejays productions, also come with a different touch showing another side of Elani we hardly knew. “Both songs have strong messages and since we could not agree on which of the two we could release first, we decided to do a double release. The thing is, music is everything and we have so much to give to our fans, so there is no slowing down,” says Wambui, one of the Elani group members whose other singers are lawyers Brian and Maureen. “We are on a mission to change the local music landscape, and put Kenya on the international map by letting everyone know there is talent down here. We want to be the face of the industry as we work with other artistes to make this possible,” adds Maureen. “When we were growing up, musicians were never taken seriously. The notion that music can’t be a full-time career is something we want to change. We all have been to universi ty and have earned ourselves good degrees but still, all we want to do is music,” she adds. “Our parents were opposed to this but they are now cool with it. Music is paying,” says Brian. Elani is the new image of the young Kenyan sound and unlike many groups and individual artistes who would hardly work with other musicians, fearing competition, the team is spreading its wings to work with other musicians as they do things differently. What many people don’t know is that Elani’s big success comes after years of crafting their music to the peak of perfection. In fact some songs the group is releasing now were written six years ago. In simple words, Elani has learned through the harsh realities of today’s music industry and can attest to the fact that the path to fame and fortune does not simply stop at getting a song out. Theirs was an act of patience and ambition during a time when many artistes gave up the art, seeing that the game was only favouring only a few in the local music industry. “The first gig we did was at a funeral, then a birthday party. Times were hard. Right now, everyone is calling with good offers and this is just overwhelming. Our challenge right now is time. Our projects are taking a lot of money and time and we are at that point in life when all the energies must be concentrated towards making a strong Elani brand. And speaking about their success, Sauti Sol’s Delvin who has been working with them on a number of projects, says Kenyan artistes have the potential to conquer Africa if they dropped their mediocre mentality. “I think Kenyan artistes are their own biggest enemy. We hardly want to work together, leave alone uniting to create a powerful industry. Sometimes, I think we don’t even believe in each other. If we don’t, how will fans support us?” he quips. “Music is not about competition but collaboration. The new breed of artistes need to kill that notion that if so and so is doing well, the rest of us are not being recognised. The little fights we have down here limit our focus and since we can’t help ourselves here, we can’t compete against other African sounds. “We complain a lot about ourselves. Those who have been in this industry long enough and have experience do not want to help mentor the upcoming ones. The image some artistes show of themselves gives an impression of a dead industry. How we perceive ourselves as an industry says a lot about us,” he adds. “Musicians should look at music as business. This is where they earn from at the end of the day. Unless artistes learn how to set objectives and set timelines on their set goals, we will not get far,” agrees Jaguar. “You may have good singing skills but music and showbiz in general is about management. Artistes should learn to surround themselves with professional people who will help them do their PR, manage their time and make informed decisions. The problem with most artistes is that they become proud after the first hit and forget to work hard. That way, they end up fading out and before you know it, the market starts to reject you,” he adds. According to Brian, many talented artistes are failing to cut their teeth simply because they are working with the wrong people. He says upcoming artistes need to know how the business works. “Artistes should know the market they want to target. That way, you won’t be caught in between trying to please everyone,” producer Musyoka notes. “Sometimes an artiste comes to studio and they have not even the least of clue what kind of music they want to make so that means anything can work for them, which is literary a wild imagination. Artistes should know how to cut their own niche. It is rather disheartening that many times we are trying to copy each other in the name of competition,” he adds. Unlike popular the belief that the influx of foreign music is the reason why Kenyan artistes are not being recognised, he reasons that Kenyan artistes must learn to be aggressive in marketing themselves and also work together. Additionally, he says that artistes must learn to mentor each other for the sake of continuity in the industry. “I personally give credit to Nonini who has taken the mentorship role. He is credited for making P Unit who they are today. The biggest plus Elani has besides working together as a team is the fact that we have producers and writers around us who help us come up with good arrangements. We also seek professional views from experts besides being in good books with the media,” Wambui adds.