Her name is Nina

Kalasha Award-winning Afro-acoustic artiste, Nina Ogot, gives an insight on her musical journey to PETER NDORIA.

A famous Rock artiste once said that ‘the day you open your mind to music, you’re halfway to opening your mind to life’.

Nina Ogot

For Kenyan artiste Nina Ogot, who recently won the 2011 Kenya Film Commission — Kalasha Award — for Best Original Score for Issa, life and music seem to be a concurrent journey sometimes intertwining, sometimes overlapping, but always in transit.

The last of two siblings, her interest in music began when she was a young girl growing up in Nairobi’s South B estate but it was when she transferred from Nairobi Primary School in Standard Five to Loreto Convent Msongari that she honed her talent with piano lessons.

After primary school, she went on to Loreto Convent Msongari High School and learnt how to play what is easily her most conspicuous instrument, the guitar.

Whereas she was sure she wanted to do music professionally, she could not get a university that offered music in its curriculum. As circumstance, or maybe, fate would have it, her interest in the French language saw her attend the Alliance FranÁaise to complete a diploma. She furthered her studies in the French language at l’Universite de Rennes II in France before taking up a degree course in Media and Mass Communication at the Universite de Nancy II.

"Media and Mass Communication felt like the closest I could get to music from what they offered", she points out.

As it turned out, her dalliance with matters French was to have a big impact in her music as she was exposed to the influence of West African music and being in France meant that she could have an indulgence in what is called in many circles, World Music.

It was an enlightening experienced for the budding musician-student, yet still, music was a little more than a hobby at this juncture. This French-Lingala connection remains a key component of her musical retinue.

Parle vous FranÁaise?

Upon her return to Nairobi, she landed a job as a teacher at Alliance FranÁaise alongside being a presenter and producer for Bonjour Culture for Radio France International in 2007. Her ease with the microphone and photogenic looks also saw her become the host of the popular African music TV show, ‘Afro-Dizzia’ in 2008.

Soon, she was in the company of fellow musicians and she took the opportunity to learn more as well as network.

Then one fine day last year, she dropped it all for her love; Music.

"I finally felt that I could take the risk," she elaborates adding that the realisation that if she wanted things done well, she had to do them herself, nudged her on.

Her parents, perhaps long aware of her passion for music, at first asked her the normal questions a parent would because they wanted to know what her plans were. After that, she says that they have fully supported her — backing that she says has been key to her success— and in fact her dad helps her in researching as well as detailing plans.

Consistency counts

She believes her experience may have shielded her from coming in as a novice, upcoming artiste as it were, but she confesses that the challenges are still there.

"For an artiste who is sustaining herself, one must be consistent and do a lot of networking", she says.

Without a manager, it is a one-person operation with no defined systems where one manages every aspect of her publicity and PR, which can be costly.

"If you are good at it, you will be fine but eventually you will need a manager," she concludes.

In a world where concerts and live shows mean publicity and CD sales; the more an artiste gets, the better. She has been fortunate to feature in a few of these as she has travelled to India for the Theatre Festival, Kinanda Festival and Sawasawa Festival as well as the Festival Culturelles in France. She has also hosted listeners at Rangers Restaurant, Alliance Francaise and the Louis Leakey Auditorium amongst others.

Perhaps it is her style of music that sets her apart; a type of music she defines as one seeking to celebrate culture, both hers and others’.

Singing in French, English, Lingala, Dholuo and Swahili, her style of musical expression, likes life, finds expression in its lyrical content that addresses day-to-day issues faced by the society at large.

Her debut album Ninairobi, was released in June 2008 and featured the songs Chockora and African Angel the latter, which she performed during the funeral of her friend and late Ghetto Radio presenter Angel Wainaina as it was the presenter’s favourite song.

She recently released the song Wololo, fusing African percussion with Dholuo and French lyrics. Wololo will feature in her upcoming album, which she is currently working on.

She insists that she tries to get unique aspects of life adding that it is as uncommon to find a Kenyan artiste who sings in French as it is to find a 20-something-year-old artiste singing in Dholuo.

With her variety in music, she was pleasantly surprised when her new sound got a reception warmer than she may have imagined, especially from the youth.

"Kenyans are into rhythm and beat and have been warming up to World Music," she opines.

Away from her music, she says that she is in a ‘nice’ relationship for three years now and refuses to divulge more information.

Her role models are, not surprising, they include hugely Francophone musicians such as Rokia TraorÈ, Habib KoitÈ, Youssou N’Dour, Lokua Kanza and the Nigerian, Asa.

Nina will be performing for the first time at the Afro based music festival Blankets & Wine, "This is my debut at Blankets & Wine and I am happy to be on such a popular platform that I can hardly wait!" We can’t either.