Looking well put together with his trademark haircut, his introvert temperament becomes obvious as we walk to our interview exchanging light words.
“I am laid back and private and when I’m not performing am not that outgoing,’’ he speaks of his personality. The son of a pastor, he grew up in different neighbourhoods and contrary to preachers’ kids who can be wild, he was anything but a black sheep of the family.
“My dad is a pastor so I grew up in Church and I was either on stage singing, saying something or covering the service because I had interest in videography. He planted churches in many parts of the country so we moved a lot. That Church experience gave birth to music and media,’’ he reminisces.
Come 2001, he found himself living in the same house with the likes of music bigwigs Rufftone and Daddy Owen. He was a young man trying to kick start his music career when opportunity knocked on his door.
“My music career started with a nonstarter single. It was called Hold Me. It flopped badly.”
“I really wanted to do music so I volunteered to work at a studio for free, running errands. They recorded my demo for my efforts. That is where it all started,’’ with nostalgia, he recollects before breaking into a prolonged laughter.
Back then, in the late 1900s and early 2000s, contemporary gospel music was unheard of in Kenya. In fact, gospel groups that tried anything close to secular moves were forced out of mainstream churches. One could hardly get his music listened and on his part, to make ends meet, SK Blue would print T-Shirts and sell them.
“I had to sell to survive. It was that serious.’’
“Things have changed a lot. Being a gospel artiste then was real hard then. We would go to perform and we would be chased away from churches by pastors and church elders. They did not want to hear of rap or hip hop leave alone dance and dreads. However, the revolution was unstoppable. More contemporary groups came up and mounted force on the church. It was like a revival. Every town had a youth group doing something extraordinary.”
SK Blue went ahead to record Tunajipa (also branded Nishike). In 2001, he released Chacha, his runway successful track that made him popular in urban Nairobi. In quick succession, Prophecy was out. The song became big both in the secular and gospel sphere. As he released his debut album in 2003, SK Blue was a household name. His trademark long dreads, snow white suite and a long white attire got him branded ‘The Prophet’. Besides, his concerts were characterised with short sermons and long redemption prayers made for repentance fans whom he would prophesy over.
“I wanted to impact and inspire the society and music gave me the platform,’’ he speaks of his calling.
“I love doing gospel music but I follow a different element. I wanted to do music business so music was my entry point. I wasn’t doing it for gigs or money. Back then, I felt there was a problem in the system. Big music names had little pockets and someone had to come up with a solution,” says the star, who now owns one of the most respected recording and production media houses that doubles as an advertising label — Sakata Media.
His production company has recorded big names among them Juliani, Rufftone, Cannibal, Size 8 and Esther Wahome.
“We have published several artistes for who we collect royalties and sell their music on 42 online music stores like iTunes, ‘’ he remarks.
“There are many gospel cartels in this industry and our role is to help bring all the groups together. The focus should be on the gospel of Christ, not groups.’’
A father to one-month old daughter Nissah, marriage and family as he puts it, are the best thing that ever happened to him.
‘’It’s amazing. It comes with responsibility and to top it up parenting brings a paradigm shift,’’ he concludes.
