Divas drill in Naija Nite concert

It was business unusual at the Ngong’ Racecourse grounds, Nairobi, last Saturday night as top divas staged a sensational show to mark this year’s Naija Nite concert. Kevin Oguoko 

On one side of the Ngong’ Racecourse grounds, Nairobi, stood a huge, magnificent white dome. Inside the tent was a splendid stage with beaming neon lights perched from the top. On the other side were two large LED screens on which played local music videos. The atmosphere of booming music ushered in the crowds, creating the right tempo for a great night.

Shortly after 11pm, a humorous Kalekye Mumo kicked off the show and shortly called out Isis, of the Tribal Dance fame, to test the waters.

“Kenyan men. You can’t even appreciate me...” the celebrity radio presenter and emcee joked, to some great applause from the crowd, which was dominated by the fairer sex.

Giving it her all, Isis stunned the audience with her vocal prowess and stage command, ably enhanced by a few seductive wiggles. She sparked the sexual charm on Kenyan-based Nigerian singer 9Con who was next on the list. 

The My Lady singer, popularly known for his role in the TV drama series Shuga, oozed sensual charm for the ladies throughout his performance.

As the heat took its toll on him, he went bare chested and tried to woo the female fans with his chiselled Nollywood six-pack.

However, his rather not so convincing performance was soon forgotten as Uganda’s Channel O nominee Keko fired her way to the podium to animated cheer.

Ranked as one of the best female emcees in Africa, the crowd was craving her famed command on stage. And with outstanding lyrical delivery, Keko hit it hard, with her hype man doing justice to her award-winning How We Do It track.

Her trademark short hairstyle and sagged pants stood out. The crowd loved her and she gave the love back, interactively tagging along in song and dance.

“I am going to drop you my new track,” she posed amidst animated roar. It was the Sony Records produced Let Me Go new hit, her bonus concert track.

As the crowd begged for more, the ever-charming Ugandan performer Jackie Chandiru echoed from the backstage and alas! her dance routines set the pace, romping the stage with a wicked dance move In her thigh exposing shorts and sexy top that left many men drooling and tongues waging.

The former Blu3 beauty and Gold Digger hit maker charmed the crowd with her seductive dance moves as her irresistible mellow voice commanded attention, even getting the VIP section to their feet in dance.

“I will take you back where it all started,” she chanted before belting out one of the Blu3’s old tunes.

 The tempo went up after every presentation and owing to the fact that each star carved their own niche, it was hard to judge who was the darling of the night.

“We want Chidinma...” the crowd went in near-ballistic frenzy, pushing for the Nigerian little doll to ‘kill’ the show.

Curiosity was enhanced when P-Unit threw in an interlude backed by a live band. From their old time hits Kare, Silazima Tu Do and Kushoto Kulia to their latest singles, Gentleman and You Guy, the trio gave a 30-minute thrill to the joy of their fans.

But the night belonged to Chidinma, the petite vivacious 22-year-old Nigerian. Donning fitting back jeans, an Ankara jacket and a matching vest-top, the easily lovable Chidinma opened her act with a rendition of the Pesa classic.

Her dancers stood out resplendent in their leso attire. And she sent the crowd into prolonged applause when she rendered the Kenya national anthem in Swahili, word for word.

What followed was a 20 minute mind blowing performance of her Jankoliko and internationally acclaimed Kedike track. With every hit she delivered, it was hard to get enough of her.