The influence Tik Tok has had in Kenya’s showbiz

Tik Tok app. (Courtesy)

Before the video of teenage sensation Azziad Nasenya broke the internet, whining her waistline to hit the song Utawezana, many Kenyans were not familiar with the viral potential of TikTok. Azziad immediately became a household name, bagging endorsement deals, advertisements, and a lucrative TV job. A few months later, her rate card was released that astonished everyone, at Sh 100, 000 for a TikTok post and up to half a million for a monthly social media package. Safe to say, no one associates' Utawezana' with its original singers Femi One and Mejja anymore. However, they may have no qualms with it because, on YouTube, it has currently amassed over 10 million views, further attesting to the power of Tiktok. 

Every few years, a new app redefines the way we use social media. 2020 was the year that TikTok took over. If you're a brand in the entertainment industry and not on TikTok, you're already missing out. The Chinese app, previously called musically, has over 1 billion users worldwide and is the most-downloaded app on iOS and Android, surpassing American tech giant Facebook.