Marya: I only have one life to live, no time for rumours

Flashing lights, a legion of adoring fans screaming your name in an almost worshiping fashion, a front seat to major gigs, endorsement deals, freebies and of course the money – those are some of the attractions of celebrity.

But there is a dark side to fame – the same fans who lift you up at one moment can turn into Judas and give you the kiss of death. Mary Wanjiku can attest to this.

Mary who? You might ask. Well, the Afropop musician's stage name – Marya – might ring a bell.

Marya reached the peak of her music career in 2010, when she did a hit song collaboration with fellow singer Avril.

The song 'Chokoza' (tease) became a club anthem and many women loved it because it was a testament to women's independence and had a kind of 'girls just want to have fun' theme.

Some of the lyrics translated to, "My girls and I have just come to the club to tease, so don't think you will go home with me after this party. I have my own job and car, so respect me..."

Marya's love life was also thriving.

She was dating a fellow celebrity – Mustapha – and the two were the 'it' celebrity couple.

In fact, Marya's first-ever song was with Mustapha in 2009. The song 'Hey Baby' was a hit and fans quickly got excited about the musical industry's beautiful newcomer.

From there, Marya became a regular fixture on local TV stations during music shows.

She had released her first solo song – love ya kutosha – in 2009 and 'chokoza' song the following year stamped her relevance in the industry.

In 2012, Marya released Sishiki Simu, which was almost prophetic, because her music career went silent thereafter. In 2014, Marya and Mustapha broke up.

The next time the public heard about her was in 2015, but she was not making headlines because of her music. Instead, the daughter of a flamboyant Nairobi politician had publicly accused her of stealing one Kevin, her aunt's husband.

Did she really steal Kevin?

On January 26 this year, Marya had a baby boy, and Kevin is the father.

With her new role as a mother, it has been hard to pin Marya down for an interview. The first two attempts flopped, but it finally happened.

"Motherhood is not what it seems. I've been so stressed of late. It's hard," says Marya as she apologises for the back-and-forth we had while trying to get an interview.

Marya's son Kevin Mark has colic and being a mother for the first time, adjusting has been stressful.

"It can be really frustrating hearing your child cry over and over again and there is nothing you can do about it," she says.

Marya says she is grateful to have her family and a house help to help her take care of him.

Despite the ups and downs, Marya says her son lights up her days, and that motherhood has made her more mellow and patient with people and situations.

Marya takes us back to the time she found out she was pregnant in 2016. "I was shocked. I was anxious and excited at the same time."

She says she slowly got used to the idea she was going to be a mother and enjoyed the journey. "I was tired and moody and had cravings. But overall, I enjoyed it till the last day."

But did she actually steal Kevin -- is she a husband snatcher?

"When I met Kevin, he was single. He told me about his past, and everyone has a past, but since I am a public figure, tongues were wagging. People who do not know me or the story blew it out of proportion but I chose to ignore them."

Kevin's estranged wife had stated on her social media pages that he was saying he was divorced, but she was yet to receive the papers stating so.

So is Kevin divorced, or if he is just separated?

"I don't want to talk about that now until everything is finalised," Marya says.

Marya and Kevin met on the streets of Nairobi in 2015.

"I was with a friend and we were on our way to buy cake when he approached me. He was a fan. We started chatting and one thing led to another."

Kevin is a Dubai-based businessman, but because of the baby, he has been visiting Kenya often. Marya says she might move to Dubai permanently when her son is little bigger.

Does she still have a career in music, and why did she ditch the spotlight?

She says she wanted to take a break and focus on business, but quickly adds that she has not completely abandoned music because it is still in her heart.

Recounting her days with the Ogopa Deejays record label, she says she enjoyed her time there, but there were ups and downs. "That's part of life. There are challenges everywhere."

She cites instances when the release of her music was delayed, and claims that there was favouritism.

"But," she quickly adds, "my journey with Ogopa was the best because they believed in me."

In 2015, Marya decided to kill two birds with one air ticket.

She moved to Dubai to conduct research on a cosmetics business and also to spend time with Kevin.

She returned to the country late last year and says she will start her beauty business soon.

Between the time Marya started her music career in 2009 and when she did her 2012 song, she gained a considerable amount of weight.

Marya says she was not going through a stressful time in her personal or professional life, but just had normal weight gain, "like anyone else does".

"One thing you have to know is that people will always talk whether you do good or bad. My weight gain was nothing unusual."

Marya says she has learnt not to pay attention to what critics say because you cannot win.

In the next couple of months, Marya will star in a reality TV show. For now, she says she wants to get through with the first couple of months of raising her baby, adding she will be relieved when the colic has subsided.

On juggling motherhood, a relationship and business, Marya says planning is essential. She says it is possible to live a balanced life if one not only makes plans, but tries as much as possible to stick to them.

One thing that she is not ready to ditch because of motherhood is her sense of fashion because she likes to look good.

"What, tone down? Why would I tone down my dressing? I have to look young and sexy like I'm still 18 years old," she says.

She says she is happy with her relationship with Kevin and hopes they will get married soon. She urges women to remain true to who they are and not let critics bring them down.

"People will always talk but it is only you and God who know the truth. As long as you know you are honest, don't let what others say affect you. The truth will come out."

After all, "I only have one life to live and I choose not to listen to naysayers."