'Mjanja' singer turned producer Wawesh's smart beat

His towering figure and gentle persona are hard to ignore right from the minute the interview starts off.

“I don’t know where people got the notion that I was in America. I have never set foot in the US. I grew up in Sweden from the age of nine years,” he says, breaking with a slight chuckle, trying to explain his ‘foreign’ accent.

His experience in a foreign country spawned a passion for music and also fermented his dream of coming home to Kenya a country he would often visit on his vacation.

“I know Sweden in and out. I fell in love with music there because of the many opportunities. It reached a point as a young person you see things like racism even when I could speak Swedish fluently and knew their culture I was still that big black guy and it was awkward,” he says.

His debut came at the age of eleven when he started out in a rock band. “They used to have youth centres with instruments, tutors and all that so they would advertise in the papers for kids to go and learn. I used to sing and play bass.

From there I got in touch with digital production. My professional life was working as a producer with ‘Blao Entertainment,” he recalls.

Several awards later, with the company, they got nominated for a Grammy in early 2000 and from there, his dream of making it sprouted.

“We wanted to make it in the world so we looked towards the United Kingdom. I got hold of a Kenyan called Sir Prestige who was working on BBC radio. We started talking and it developed into a friendship. We tried setting up meetings to pitch to major labels. At the same time, Sir Prestige was working on his album. He made me think about home. He told me he won’t let me go until I recorded something.’’ He says.

That is how Mjanja was born. As fate would have it, his new found friend would get the song to his cousin, who happens to be DJ Stylez, and that was the beginning of his music career in Kenya.

“The song blew up. It went bananas,” he says.

He was invited by his friend to London to do a video where he shot with his help. This was soon followed by Waweru and an album with 20 songs.

“That was my entry point to Kenya. I had to come back and promote it. I also wanted to create music and opportunities for young people and I founded Penya Africa in 2009,” he goes on.

Together with, Nnyka, a Dutch lady who was doing the famous Kilio Cha Haki project with Ukoo Flani among others at the time, they pushed the Penya Africa project.

“The first artiste I signed under Penya Africa was Stan. I am grateful to him because he insisted I meet Dela, Sauti Sol and many other guys. He was very unselfish,” he adds.

Come 2011, he left to start Uwezo, which was registered before working in partnership with the Swedish government and UN.

“Besides being a producer, I am 100 per cent into youth development. I have a studio with Uwezo but I also have a private one which affords me the luxury to work with whoever I want to. It’s not really an open studio. I produced five songs in Ali Kiba’s new album, I did Sanaipei Tande’s Mfalme wa Mapenzi, Rabbit’s Bado Nakupenda among others.

I am also working on a project called Mahaba with Mfalme wa Mapenzi as the first song. It’s about mature Swahili music and it will be launched on Valentines’ Day,” he explains.

With his plate full working as a full time producer, running an NGO and being a single parent.

The proud father to an 18-year-old daughter considers his daughter to be his best friend.

“I have never been married and I am not in a relationship. The mum lives abroad. She (his daughter) has tried music but she’s focusing on her education now, the proud father explains.

To his fans who wonder what happened to his music career, he expounds that he did it as a hobby. “I never started really. I like to be behind the scenes. I feel comfortable there, he says.