Ellah Ogaga.

Nairobi; Kenya: When the Kenyan songbird Apelles “Ellah” Ogaga elegantly steps on to the stage in London, dressed in national colors, the audience breaks into a loud applause and gives her a standing ovation.

Apelles, who is popularly known as Ellah, has captured the hearts of thousands of members of not only the Kenyan Diaspora in Britain but also other communities who attend her concerts.

The 30-year-old multi-talented London-based singer, songwriter, actress and script writer who was born in Homa Bay County, is comparatively a new arrival on the British entertainment scene, but is already carving a niche for herself.

Ellah hails from a family of 16 and spent early years with her mother until the age of five when she went to live with other relatives.

She attended Ombogo Girls Academy in Homa Bay after which she joined Naivasha High School. Her undergraduate studies took her to Nairobi and then she went to the United Kingdom for her Master’s degree.

“I started singing when I was still in primary school,” she says. “My mother who was a Sunday school teacher, and my maternal grandmother loved singing and I have to admit this, I got this from them.”

Her interest in singing mushroomed in high school where she formed Silver Shine Singers Group with five other friends.

“I started singing professionally after my elder brother noted my potential and sponsored the release of my first album, A New Name, in 2005,” she says. “It sold well both in Kenya and abroad.”

Her songs were played regularly on East African radio stations and she became popular and got encouraged to build a career. Unlike most Kenyans in the diaspora who have done well in their chosen fields at home but cannot make it abroad due to lack of opportunity, Ellah was lucky in London.

PLATFORM TO PERFORM

“When I first came to the UK, I started singing in the church where I met Louisa from Global Fusion of Music and Arts. She gave me the platform to perform at the International Women’s Day event before an audience of Britons. I was elated when they gave a standing ovation after my performance.”

The concert was another stepping stone to an illustrious career.

“That day I realised that I am worth more than I had imagined and I decided to continue singing gospel and inspirational songs,” she recalls.

The best was yet to come for this young Kenyan when she got an opportunity to lead a choir of 300 and sing for an audience of 60,000 at London’s prestigious ExCel Centre.

She described the show as “a phenomenal experience.”

In spite of a wider exposure in the UK, Ellah does not forget her Kenyan roots and makes it a point to participate in diaspora events.

“I have performed at Kenya At 50 Celebrations and at the annual Face of Kenya UK pageant where the audience could not get enough of me,” she says.

TALENTED PEOPLE

“As an actress, I have appeared in two Global Fusion Music and Arts theatre productions, in 2012 and in the 2013 African Women and the popular The Darkest Hours of Freedom based on the Mau Mau struggle.”

In May, she exhibited some of her photography as part of the Global Fusion Music and Arts Africa month.

“I love Kenya and whatever expertise I have I would love to go back share it with the youth. There are many talented people in Kenya who are yet to be discovered. I want to help identify this talent and encourage Kenyans to use it to their advantage,” she says.

Ellah also supports MOHAMI — Mothers of Hope and Mercy Initiative, a charity founded by her former high school teacher.

“Together with the Global Fusion of Music and Arts, we are organising a fundraiser to assist underprivileged girls supported by MOHAMI.”

This charity is important to Ellah considering she was raised by her mother. “Life was never a bed roses and I have the passion of helping in my own little way and supporting the girl child education. Ellah ensures she has enough time to practice for her concerts. “I rehearse most times of the day. Whenever I get an opportunity I grab my earphones and practice.”

She sends her songs to the band before any concert and they meet a few times for rehearsals. She is currently working on her second album, I Love the Lord, which will be launched jointly in the UK and Kenya.

Prominent Kenyan community leader Janet Wainaina of UKenTV and the organiser of the prestigious annual Face of Kenya UK pageant in London stepped into Ellah’s life and made a difference by agreeing to be her manager.

“Ellah contacted me to feature on an UKenTV Christmas Show and the launch of Face of Kenya UK on 22 December 2012,” Ms Wainaina recalls. “Though she was new to the Kenyan market, that night she sang her heart out and the amazed guests requested for more.

BUSY CALENDAR

“I knew we were destined to work together as I am committed to promoting her talent and I agreed to manage her career. Since then she has featured in many shows. I plan to launch her career in Kenya.”

In the just concluded London African Music Festivals? Ellah was the only East African to feature alongside powerful artists such as Kanda Bongoman. Ellah has had a busy calendar ahead and is booked for concerts in Luton, Oxford, Coventry and London.

Talking of her future plans, Ellah says she likes doing her own things “so I am really not intending to stay employed for long. I want to start my own recording company maybe even a music school.”