Introducing Kijani...

By Shirley Genga

Meet Kijani, a girl group made up of: Christine Chege, 20 and twin sisters Elizabeth and Caroline Njuguna both 20...

How did you all meet?

We all met for the first time at Ngararia Girls High school and discovered that we all had a passion for

Christine Chege, 20 and twin sisters Elizabeth and Caroline Njuguna both 20...

music. Together with a fourth girl who played piano we formed a group called Dawn. We would write and perform original songs as well as covers of gospel songs. We completed high school in 2009 but one of the members left because she wanted to pursue a more classical path. She was very good at piano and her parents were not comfortable with her doing secular music.

What happened next?

With the support of our parents, we began to visit different studios and ended up signing at Cypher studios, Mombasa Road, Nairobi in 2010. It is owned by Jimmy Okungo aka The Beatmaker and though he had just set up shop, it was perfect for us.

Why did you pick Cypher studios and not a more renowned studio?

Jimmy Okungu had just come back to Kenya from the UK where he had worked as a music producer. We liked his sound, it was new and fresh plus we shared similar visions. We did not want to just make one hit and disappear we want to make a mark not only in the Kenyan industry but internationally and we believe he could take us there. The label pays for everything we do with regard to our music.

Tell us about your album?

We are working on our album and tentatively titles Kijani Way. We want to create our signature music that is timeless. The album will be a little bit of everything that has influenced our music over the years. It will have some RnB, Trance, Pop, Reggae and Benga influences. We want our music to be modern but to also have an African feel to it.

Who writes your music?

We decided to write our own music because we wanted our personalities and experiences to shine through . For example the single Utamwambia Aje deals with telling your loved one about you HIV status. We wrote the song during World Aids day back in 2010. Watakanini feat Gaza formerly of UKoo Fulani is all about girl power. Breakout, our latest single release, is about embracing one’s individuality and being bold enough to do what makes you happy.

Which girl group do you admire most?

Our favourite girl groups of all time are TLC and 3LW. All the girls in both group had great style and their different personalities got to shine. We also like the new British girl group called Saturdays, they have a fresh and interesting sound and a great sense of fashion.

Who inspires your music?

We are inspired by Freshly Ground, Magic system, Angelique Kidjo and Suzanne Owiyo.

What are some of the challenges you have faced as upcoming artistes?

Getting airplay has been our greatest challenge. It is a hustle to get our songs played on radio and television. When we take our music to some radio stations they tell us they will not play our music unless we pay them. Others think because we are young, beautiful women they can ask us for favours in exchange for airplay. The other challenge we face is constantly trying to be fresh and different. We do not want our music to be predictable; we want every song to stand out.

Some of your songs are reminiscent of Ugandan girl group Blu3, do you try to emulate their style ?

No. Maybe only Watakanini feat Gaza formerly of Ukoo Fulani, it has ragga beat and the video was shot in Uganda, maybe that is why people think it sounds like Blu3.

You went to Uganda last year for six weeks. Tell us about that?

We spent six weeks in November in Uganda shooting the video for Breakout. We also set time to have a meet and had greet and had press interviews to promote ourselves in Uganda. It was a very inspirational experience, we were treated like royalty and got to meet big names like Chameleone, Toniks, Jackie, AMC, Navio, Keko and The Mith as well as to performing for fans.

Why Uganda?

We went to Uganda because our songs were getting air play there and we wanted to broaden our fan base. Uganda is actually our first venture but we are also planning to visit Tanzania.

What did you learn from Uganda?

It really motivated us to work hard. Seeing our music being played in clubs and people dancing to it was great. We also got to work with choreographers and learnt a thing or two about video choreography.

Tell us about your latest video

The single is called Breakout, it is a song about love and it is written in English and Kiswahili. It has a very danceable fast beat. We shot the video in Uganda and what we loved about the concept was very unique. We shot the video at night in a maize farm in Najembe and it is the same location where The Last King of Scotland was shot. The video was shot by Uganda’s renowned filmmaker Duncan Mugisha (Deddac).

You all look great do you work out?

We work out a lot. Toned bodies do not come easily, you have to work. We all live in Kasarani so we wake each other up every day and go for a run.

How do you think you have grown since 2009?

When we started we were very green. We were straight from high school, naÔve and a little reserved about our dreams. Now that we are all bursting out of our shells, our confidence is high and our stage performances are better. When we first started doing music only Christine could dance but now everyone can dance confidently. Also having people write to us on Facebook and calling us their role models is really big.

Which singer do you admire locally?

Elizabeth: Susan Owiyo. I really like her style of music, it is African and fresh.

Caroline: Mejja, he is very talented and is brilliant at telling stories through his songs.

Christine: Jua Cali, he has a unique style and he is very humble despite all he has achieved in the music business.

Being a group how do you ensure that everyone shines and no one is left in the background?

We are all talented and have different personalities. Everyone is given his or her chance to shine. We have no lead singer, everyone gets a chance to sing in each song. If you have a lead singer in a group you become very predictable. We all have different styles and we want it to be felt in our music we try our best not to be predictable.

Have you joined university and what are you each studying?

Christine: I’m studying International Relations- and minoring in Development studies at USIU. As much as I am a singer also want to make an impact. I feel that education is important if I want to help people on the society.

Caroline: I will soon be joining Mt Kenya University later in the year to study Nutrition. I am very passionate about creating awareness about lifestyle diseases and doing this course gives me the knowledge and creates an avenue for me.

Elizabeth: I will be joining Inoorero University to study law this year. I have always wanted to study law because I want to help fight for the voiceless and helpless.

Do you think it is important to be friends when you are in a group?

Yes, it is important.We have been best friends since meeting in high school and now we are neighbours too so when one of us is not in the mood for jogging or training we encourage each other. Since we cannot afford a vocal or dance coach at home we train together everyday, we read a lot and get information on the net. We try to do everything we can to help each other grow.

How can people access your music

You can check us out on Facebook/ Kijani Kenya, on YouTube and on www.itskijani.com.