Grace Mwai:Aiming for the stars

Grace Mwai will soon be a force to reckon with.     Photo:Courtesy

This young, talented and vibrant woman has a voice that has made gospel music fans stop in their tracks and listen to what she has to say.

Grace Mwai, a young artiste from Nyeri County, knows she has a long way to go before she can have the international recognition that other gospel artistes such as EstherWahome have received.

Having been brought up in the same church where Ms. Wahome began her music career, it seems she faces high expectations from Nyeri residents and the gospel industry as well.

“I have never met Esther Wahome personally, but I admire what she has accomplished so far and I am proud to have come from the same church in Nyeri,” Ms Mwai says.

When she recorded her first album‘Mawega Maku’ in 2008, it did not receive the recognition she expected, but this did not discourage her.

“I had to borrow money from my parents to produce the album and when it did not yield instant fame, my parents were disappointed,” she says. She adds her mother, however, encouraged her to not give up, but follow her passion.

“Since I was a little girl, I used to get up in church and sing in the choir and my heart was always set on being a singer so my parents always knew I had a gift and they supported me even though they were skeptical, ”Mwai explains.

In 2013, she released her second album ‘Kirathimo’ and the response was overwhelming. “To be honest I believe it was God who helped me, I don’t know anyone in the music industry. I simply dropped my album at local radio stations and the presenters played it and instantly, it was a hit,”Mwai says.

The song has received considerable airplay on local radio stations and the video has been featured in television gospel shows thrusting her music into the limelight. She has also performed at Mwafaka and Groove Awards Shows and hopes to one day win an award for her music.

“The Kikuyu music industry is doing very well. The competition is high and that leads to exposure in the media,” Mwai notes. With the vernacular radio station listeners embracing their local artistes, Mwai says this is what has given them an opportunity to earn from their art.

The Internet and various new media avenues have also played a role in exposing her music. “When I first started out, YouTube and mobile phone applications like ring tones were not widely used. But now they are a key source or revenue and exposure for us as artistes,” Mwai explains.

She says growing as a gospel artiste from Nyeri County has its challenges as there are few fans willing to pay for concert tickets or attend shows. “I love singing at my Church Gospel Outreach, but when you stay in one place for long you don’t grow your talent, people get used to you and when you ask them today for a show they are likely not to,” she says.

Mwai says her mentors in the church, who gave her an opportunity to explore her talent and gain confidence, have made climbing her way to the top possible.

Mwai tells The Counties that with all art forms being ripped off, becoming an artist is always a risk, more so when you are trying to make a  living from it.“ I don’t have a manager. I handle my contracts and organise for my gigs personally. Sometimes people assume that because I am a Christian, they can take advantage of me but I don’t cower at getting the best deal for my work,” Mwai explains.

The key goal for Mwai now is exposure; she says her aim as a young artiste is to get her name and music out there.

“In future I would like to collaborate with Eunice Njeri, Christine Shusho and Paul Mwai; they are great artistes and I admire them,”Mwai says.

Mwai tells her fans that in January next year she will release her new album and they should expect new artistes to feature. “I want to work with artistes who have never been heard before but need to be heard. That is how you help each other as artistes; by letting others shine as well,” Mwai says.

As she makes her mark on the Gospel scene she hopes that in five years, she will have enough money to start a children’s home for orphans and vulnerable children.

Check out the video of her hit song 'Kirathimo' below.