Bez’s guitar serenades revellers in Kenya

By Peter Muiruri

In recent weeks, Nairobi has become the playground for several renowned musicians from around the globe including Johnny Gill and James Ingram.

The latest sensation is Nigerian Emmanuel Bezhiwa Idakula, popularly known as Bez, who is  tagged as the ‘next big thing’ in Nigeria’s music scene.

The composer of the Super Sun album with its 15 songs was recently in Nairobi for the inaugural Tusker Malt 100 Club that seeks to showcase inspiring African musical talent that hasn’t had an opportunity to perform on a world stage.

Bez plays what he calls ‘alternative soul’ using his favourite instrument, the guitar.

He says his father, who loved music, inspired him to compose his songs. “My dad married when he was 25 while mum was only 18. Dad told me that he wooed my mum by playing her the guitar. After their marriage, both started to play music in church though dad would later go into politics. They would sometimes play in the house, record themselves and distribute the music to others. It was interesting growing up in a house of musicians,” recalls Bez.

By the time Bez was nine, his father started to teach him how to play the guitar.

At first he was not interested but his father came up with enticements to make him serious. He soon became like a sponge, soaking in all the sounds he heard in the home, slowly implanting music in his genes.

Bez started off by playing the same songs his parents played.

Later on, Bez enrolled at Covenant University in Ota, Ogun State for a course in ICT.

“The college did not offer a course in music which was my first love. There is the belief in Africa that music is for those who have nothing else to do. It was a struggle for me since I had no love for mathematics that was compulsory in college. I soon lost all interest in the whole course and switched to music by the third year,” says Bez, who was born in November 1983.

Unfortunately, Bez’s father died in a car crash in 1997 leaving the family with little materially.

An anonymous donor offered to pay his fees. Life for the young man appeared bleak. He took to reading as many motivational books as he could find.

“Despite the financial constraints I was determined to further my dad’s musical legacy. My eldest sister started a platform for training upcoming artistes where we practiced every two weeks. The results were astounding going by the genre of music I play today,” he says.

In his short music career, Bez has managed to sing alongside talented artists such as Angie Stone and Yvonne Chaka Chaka. He has the distinction of being the first African artiste to premiere a music video for That Stupid Song on BET International’s 106 & Park.

Bez feels African music has come of age and should take its rightful place among the best talents in the world.