Four Kenyan music covers with more views than the original

Nyashinski and Keam Kym [Photo: Instagram @ realshinski/keam_kym]

Lightning does not strike the same place twice, they say, or does it? In music, the expression skirts the edge of built-in-familiarity. Remixes, covers and samples represent the best of intentions by some artists to re-imagine a hit song, and, in rare instances, the reworked track lives up to or even outdoes its predecessor.

While it is widely understood that any edition that scores lower than the original is classed as a mistake - often measured by sales, views or streams - it is actually possible for a remake to improve on the original. Below are some Kenyan singers who’ve managed to tame and make lightning strike twice by releasing a successful follow-up to a classic.