Gilad Millo is popular for his hit song with Wendy Kimani ‘Unajua.Besides that, he has been a journalist, a diplomat and is currently a corporate executive. He spoke to Irvin Jalang’o
How long have you been in Kenya?
I came to Kenya first in 1996 as a backpacker. I was then a university student. My girlfriend and I took a month off and came to Kenya and when we returned to Israel, I proposed and we got married a year later. I came back again in 2002 as the Israeli Government Spokesman for the Kikambala bombings.
I was working for Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and came here with the rescue team from Israel and while Israeli tourists were being evacuated, I was conducting interviews for the media outside the burning Paradise Hotel in Kikambala. I came back in July 2003 as the Deputy Ambassador of Israel to Kenya and served for just over two years. I am currently the Group Head of Business Development and Public Relations for Balton CP.
What is it that you like about Kenya?
There is something really unique about this place. If you want to get philosophical, in my language (Hebrew), Kenya means ‘nest of God’. What keeps me here and what I like most about the country are the people.
Kenyans are generous, welcoming and loving. I’m a diplomat’s son and was a diplomat myself, so I grew up globe-trotting every few years of my life. This is the first time I have no deadline about moving somewhere. So, for as long as Kenya will have me, I am happy to stay. My family loves it here.
How did you learn to speak Kiswahili so well?
When I was the Head of Administration for Amiran (Kenya), I interacted regularly with close to 400 staff and in Nairobi, no one speaks Kiswahili sanifu anyway. We speak ‘kitchen Kiswahili’, so I picked up a lot. When you are in a new country, language is usually the first barrier.
I’ve taken Beginning Swahili (self-instructional language programme) three times already, but I’m always trying to learn and improve. I’m not there yet, I still can’t read the newspaper in Kiswahili comfortably or listen to the news without help with some words, but I learn a new word or phrase almost every day. When it comes to music, I find Kiswahili to be a very romantic language.
How did you come up with the song ‘Unajua’?
I’ve been an amateur musician most of my life. I sang in a boys’ choir as a kid, played some musical instruments, had a band in high-school and then a Jerusalem rock band when I was in my mid-20s. About four years ago, while out with friends in Nairobi, I went up to sing a song with Calabash Band (in which Wendy Kimani is a member).
That first song turned into a second and a third and today, I have a song list with Calabash. Later, I began to sing Kiswahili cover songs, such as Kidum’s Haturudi Nyuma and part of Juliani’s Utawala. At some point, I started toying with Kiswahili, English and even sheng. MG, my producer, and I had actually finished Unajua and when I sent Wendy the song.
I asked her to help me with the harmonies, but luckily, she misunderstood my request and came back with additional lyrics! When I read Wendy’s lyrics, I was blown away and couldn’t just ignore what was obvious. So we went back to the studio, opened up the song and Unajua became a duet with Wendy, which gave the song an entirely new and beautiful direction.
How did people respond to this surprising direction you took?
You know how I released this song? I called friends and colleagues whom I have known for years and shared that not only am I a singer, but that I sing in Kiswahili and was releasing a song which I had written, a Kiswahili-English love song, which was a duet with Wendy Kimani.
They were all shocked. I called Juliani who off course knew all about it as I had shared every step of my writing with him during our ‘Farming is Cool Concert’ tour. I also called Jeff Koinange, Julie Gichuru, Caroline Mutoko and I sent a message to Carol Radul, whom I had met through Twitter.
I tweeted the song to all of them and they responded with wonderful support. Jeff even tweeted that it was ‘smookin’ and suddenly Unajua was trending. Carol Radul went a step further and guided the song to the right decision makers, who approved its play on the radio.
Now that your music is out there, what next?
We just released a new song titled Sema Milele and it has been received well so far. I’ve asked Mushking, who made the Unajua music video, to work with me on a clip for Sema Milele. I will definitely continue to perform with Calabash. Live shows are the best and I get to sing every Sunday at Black Diamond in Westlands, Nairobi. That once a week is my time to just enjoy singing and make music for the soul.
