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Kenya’s musical scene is vibrant, with youngins tossing themselves in the industry on a daily basis. Most often than not, they come as groups. And as time ticks by they throw in the towel and opt for solo projects or quit music all together.
Some famous groups that have since parted ways include: Kelele Takatifu, MOG, Camp Mulla, Ochungulo Family, BMF, P-Unit, The Kansoul, Tattuu, Kleptomaniax, Just a Band, Kaskazini, SOC, Le Band and Amos and Josh, just to name a few.
“There is a bevy of reasons why musicians fall apart. Be it pressure from one seeing like they are carrying the weight of others, lack of proper management among many other reasons. Furthermore, working with a group is lots more hectic than working with a solo artist due to logistical issues,” said Agnes Nonsizi, a talent manager.
When a music group starts out, usually the common motivation is a group of friends trying to make their mark on the world of music and gain a little success and a few fans along the way. However, once they get established and become a proper name, individual goals massively change. Early this year, the famed boy band Ochunglo Family announced their break up and issued a statement. “We have reached a point we have different goals and targets,” the statement read.
Going down memory lane, six years ago, the popular boy-band, P-UNIT, split to pursue solo careers and according to Frasha, the break-up was a calculated move that was meant to give individual members a chance to shine on their own, and that it doesn’t affect their tight friendship as a group. This was after 14 years on the music scene.
It is true that there are complex interpersonal dynamics at play in a music group. Intertwining a group schedule so that they all hit the studio at once is another issue, and this apparently is one of the main reasons some groups don’t get to their expected shelf-life.
“Working as a group is a bit tricky and intense as you have to adjust and streamline all the members’ calendar so as to come up with sellable content,” said Skoko of the famous award winning band, H_art The Band.
Arguably, the greatest all-girl group that ever existed in our musical generation, Blu 3, a Ugandan band, came into public limelight after winning the East Africa Coca Cola Popstars TV show in 2004 only to bow down to differences weighing them from within.
Despite dictating the music scene in the region and becoming a household name across East Africa, cracks emerged with claims bordering the group’s differences with management as well as relationships and love differences.
One group that has stood the test of time is Band Beca. The two, Becky and Carol, believe their bond is greater than anything else. “Our biggest strength is our sisterhood bond. We also know that we can sing. Our voices complement each other. I do the highs and Carol does the lows,” said Becky in an earlier interview.
When the new age sound came, new groups commanding the airwaves, Camp Mulla was on the onset of it all. They were a darling to many and their breakup was not good news to the sizeable fans they had accrued. Apparently, the then producer’s girlfriend was introduced to the group and this led to disagreements.
All said and done, we absolutely see money as one of the leading culprits. Money issues always creep up when most bands break up. In the near past, Kidkora from the famous The Kansol cited underhand dealings in the group.
In a series of posts on his Instagram stories, Kid Kora accused Mejja and Madtraxx of giving him the short end of the stick. He said they still owe him money, dubbing them ‘blue-eyed monsters’. He added that the two, Mejja and Madtraxx, kept blocking him from receiving royalties from the group’s projects.
We are living in an unprecedented times in music where musically speaking, things look absolutely nothing like they did a decade ago; but there is nothing new under the sun when it comes to why bands decide to throw in the towel. The reasons for band breakups are many and varied and range from entirely realistic ones to the most nonsensical excuses of all times.
