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| Bahati |
By Sheila Kimani
Pulse: Your latest release Mama, made its debut just before Mother’s Day consequently amassing massive airplay. Was the timing a strategy?
Bahati: No! Although it may seem so, the truth is that we had production hitches and the Mama video took two weeks longer than its expected release date. When we finally let it out, Mother’s Day coincidentally fell on that week and fortunately, the song amassed a lot of airplay.
P: Upon being nominated in the Groove New Artiste of the Year award category, what song do you feel put you up for the challenge?
B: With three songs out already, I believe my latest single Mama and Wangu featuring Mr Seed. They put me in the limelight, granted me platforms to showcase my music and stood me a chance in the category as well.
P: Who do you suppose is your greatest competitor in the category?
B: Besides feeling confident in myself, I have to admit that Denno, famed for the song Mbona is quite a task. He has been in the industry for some time and his Mbona song, featuring Daddy Owen, was quite a hit.
P: How long have you been in the industry?
B: Having recently completed my secondary education and at 19 years of age, I have only been in the industry for eight months, and the hassle has been quite rough. I am glad fans are appreciating my efforts though.
P: Besides Wangu and Mama, what other music projects have you penned so far?
B: My first song was Siku ya Kwanza, a prelude of my life in Christ. I then did the runway hit Wangu, which told of my journey and challenges. Mama, which is a dedication to my late mother who passed on when I was six, is my latest work.
P: Your collaboration with Mr Seed in Wangu thrust you into the limelight. Can we say that he steered your musical career?
B: No! Wangu was my own composition and the only new thing Seed brought to the table was an Afro-fusion twist. I had everything well planned out, so I settled on him only because I wanted to incorporate something new into my music.
P: If that is the case, why does he always accompany you to most of your media interviews?
B: Since releasing the song, we have grown quite close because we had to promote the song, and do concerts together as part of business. Most of the interviews I was called for were out of Wangu’s success and I wanted Mr Seed to feel part of the song and its success as well.
P: In an industry with diverse genres, what is your style of music and how do you intend to cut your niche?
B: I currently do gospel bongo but that does not limit me to one genre. I hope to diversify and incorporate different musical aspects like acoustic, zouk and Afro-fusion in my future music.
P: But gospel bongo seems over-rated with many artistes tending towards it. That does not help you cut a niche, or does it?
B: At first you have to capture the market’s attention and as it is now, people seem to be in love with gospel bongo; so I chose to kick off my career with it. Once I am well established, I will fuse genres like I did in Wangu then shift gears to other genres of music. Hopefully, my fans will stick by me even then.
P: Tell us about your background in music.
B: I grew up singing in Sunday school. In high school, I joined the music club and even won an award during the annual Secondary Schools Music Festival finals.
P: As an orphan with many financial handles, where did you get the cash to record music?
B: After high school, teachers and friends encouraged me to take up music but since I was broke and orphaned, I resolved to go back and make music in church where I then solicited for funds and released my first song Siku ya Kwanza.
P: What makes you stand out in this gospel music boom?
B: Unlike many upcoming artistes who have specific targets and genres, I am slowly carving out my niche as a cross-ranged artiste. My music is not confined to a particular age group or genre, and I believe this will be my golden ticket to uniqueness.
