Keeping it Proff

A former Florida 2000 dancer, 25-year-old Steven Onyango aka Proff is taking the charts by storm with his single Data, he talks to Shirley Genga about his musical journey.

Pulse: Why did you call yourself Proff?

Proff: From my childhood I always wanted to be a professional singer. That dream was realised after high school. I decided to take up dancing first for exposure before going into music. From 2002 I worked as a dancer at Club Florida. I was so good at it that people nicknamed me Prof and the name stuck.

P: When did you finally make the switch from dancing to singing?

P: Through dancing, I met a few people and after a year I joined a boy band called Funny Boyz. It was not long before we broke due to disagreements. Soon after, I met producer, Maich Blaq, and he later introduced me to Redsan and we hit it off. I started out as a back-up singer for Redsan. I did this for five years because I felt I was still too green to release my own music.

P: Is singing now your main focus or do you still dance professionally?

P: I love dancing but I have chosen to concentrate on music. Of course, I will still infuse dance into my performances.

P: What do your parents say of your chosen career, is it what you studied for?

P: How would you describe your kind of music?

P: I do not like being boxed into any single category; I simply aspire to be real in whatever I sing. My first song Niambie was Afro fusion but my second song Data is more of Kapuka. My debut album, Siku Nyingi, which will be released in April next year is a mixture of reggae, ragga and Afro-fusion

P: Are you dating?

P: (Chuckles) No comment.

P: In your new video you get very cosy with Tanya (Sarah Hassan) from Tahidi High, is there something between you two?

P: (Laughs) She just fitted perfectly as the leading vixen in the clip. That’s all I can say.

P: Who are some of the artistes you have worked with in your album?

P: For my upcoming album, Siku Nyingi, I have worked with Wyre, Logic, and the Enterprise Kenya presenter who is also a rapper, Laety, Mangwair from Tanzania. In future, I would love to collaborate with Marlaw because his style is very similar to mine. Others include Joe Makini who is a great rapper and Avril.

P: Which producers have you worked with?

P: Maich Blaq and the Herbalist. I have worked with Maich Blaq from ever since I was a back-up singer and we have a good rapport. He understands me musically. It’s very important for a singer to work with a producer who understands the kind of music that he/she wants to make.

P: Who makes your videos; they are of good quality and easily stand out from other Kenyan Videos?

P: Mojo did both the videos for my songs Data and Niambie. Although they mostly shoot adverts, they also make music videos, if you want quality music videos that stand out then, Mojo is the best bet. Making a good quality video is not easy but if you want to leave an impression an artiste must package themselves well and making a video is part of packaging.

P: What are some of the challenges you have faced as a new artiste?

P: Financing is one of the major problems, followed by getting your song played on television or radio. I released Niambie in December last year but I was not able to get airplay. I was a little discouraged, but this year after walking from station to station my song finally got good airplay. It’s not easy when you are a new artiste as most stations prefer to play music by established artists and are very sceptical about new artistes. Following the success of my first song it’s been a little easier to get airplay.

P: Is it important for an upcoming artiste to have a manager?

P: Yes, it is very important, I do not have one and it is quite challenging. I have to do everything for myself. It’s very challenging especially if you do not know anyone in the industry.

P: Your image and that of fellow singer Shantrell seems to be very similar to Redsan’s, why ?

P: What do you mean by image? Shantrell is Redsan’s cousin that is why they are very similar, I don’t think I try to copy Redsan, we are just good friends. I was Redsan’s back-up singer for almost five years, he is my mentor and has taught me a lot about music and the music industry. He has taught me a lot including music arrangement to how performing on stage and writing music.

P: What can fans expect from your upcoming album Siku Nyingi?

P: I want my album to appeal to everyone that is why it contains a mixture of music genres. They should expect music that will not only captivate them but that is from the heart.