By Caroline Nyanga

Pulse: How did you get into music?

Henrie Mutuku: As a young girl, music was not one of my priorities since musicians did not earn decently from it. That withstanding, I learnt to play piano and worked on my vocals.

It was in high school where I became an active member of the school drama club and the school’s choir mistress that my love for music grew.

It was at this point that I toyed with the idea of venturing into music as a career.

With time, my interest, coupled with a resilience to succeed as a recording artiste grew. Later, I won family’s respect in a career that most parents viewed as financial wasteland.

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P: Do you still recall your first show?

HM: Not really because we performed in many places as a background vocalist for either Izzo Gatembo or Pete Odera.

These experiences shaped my career as a recording artiste and concert performer.

P: Why did you go solo?

HM: I felt it was time for me to come up with something of my own after being nurtured by Izzo and Pete. It was time to make them proud.

Luckily, my big break came when I was featured on a compilation album, Rebirth, produced by Steve ‘Soulchild’ Ominde. Since then various doors swung open, notably curtain-raising for Bebo Norman. This experience undeniably ushered me into a spiral ascent as a household name and presented me a platform to step-up and embrace my destiny as Kenya’s foremost female gospel artiste. My first music video Nakuhitaji was shot by local Christian TV Station, Family TV for the promotion of the Bebo Norman Tour.

I also shot another music video for Amini off my Simama (Stand) album that had hit songs like Usichoke featuring Rufftone and RKay and Manzi wa Maana (featuring KJ of Redykyulass).

P: What happened next?

HM: Soon I was riding high, with awards coming my way. My hard work and consistency finally bore fruit landing me the coveted Kora Award for Best Artiste East Africa (2002). I also won two Kisima awards: Best Female Artiste and Best Contemporary Gospel Artiste.

I also featured prominently in popular music countdown radio charts such as Kiss 100’s ‘Smirnoff Top seven songs in Nairobi’, East Africa FM Radio’s ‘Link’ and Kampala FM as voted by listeners. Manzi wa Maana, especially captured the hearts of young ladies, swiftly becoming an anthem of chastity and virtue, while redefining the true essence of a beautiful African woman.

P: Your childhood…

HM: I grew up in low income area of Eastlands, which acted as a smorgasbord of musical genres.

P: Celeb transformation…

HM: As a gospel artiste, nothing much has changed about me. As far as clothing’s goes — I try hard to get the best that blends with my skin colour and the continuous changing trend.