From raunchy to righteous

She got a baby at Form Three, smoked marijuana, sold chang’aa and sang dirty, but now she is born-again. Singer BERNICE NDUKU aka LADY BEE talks to JECKONIA OTIENO about her new found faith

She has been through a road of  poverty, drug addiction, chang’aa vending and all sorts of evil, but she is now a transformed creature.

Bernice Nduku, popularly known as Lady Bee, was on a journey of self-destruction before she realised that there is more to life than worldly pleasure.

The musician who released a number of secular tracks with her cousin Nonini, now boasts of a reformed life, a life of service to God.

Some of her songs bordered on raunchy and controversial lyrics.

She shares her transformation story: “I made the decision to turn around my life when I realised I was destroying myself. Something in my heart told me I could do better in the kingdom of God.”

Quoting the Bible freely, the artiste recalls a difficult life from childhood.

Lady Bee says, “If it was stardom, I was already there, if it was music, I was already doing it big, but I realised it was not about the fame nor how big I am, but how big He (God) is.”

Born in Pumwani, Nairobi, the mother of one daughter, Yvonne, tells of a tumultuous childhood. She was an active girl playing many childhood games like others.

Difficult childhood

“I attended St Peter’s Clavers Primary School in Nairobi then joined Gathangi Secondary School in Nyahururu,” she says. Though she enjoyed school, the singer confesses that she was not so good with books.

While in Form Three, she got pregnant and had to drop out, for sometime, to take care of her daughter.

“My parents were quite poor and so I had to take care of my daughter under a lot of hardship. You can imagine taking care of a newborn without enough money,” she recalls with sadness.

Life took a turn for the worst after she completed her studies.

She remembers: “When I completed Form Four, there was a lot of pressure from home. I was young, had a baby and there was no money to take care of an extra mouth. I had to devise ways of surviving from that early age.”

Lady Bee went to live with a cousin Dandora who introduced her to chang’aa business.

“My cousin’s friend sold chang’aa and she gave us a loan of Sh210 so that we would start our own liquor business. We bought a jerrican of liquor at Mathare and started selling the mix. That is the only way I could feed my daughter,” she says.

The two would engage the services of a ‘professional’ taster — a tout— who would inform potential clients whether the liquor was of high quality or not.

From selling chang’aa, Lady Bee was introduced to performing reggae sessions in Nairobi’s River Road.

She recalls, “On the first day we went for reggae, I was arrested even before I could get onto the dance floor because the police thought I was a prostitute.”

However, she escaped from Kamukunji Police Station when she was given chance to relieve herself nearby.

Her music career began to blossom when she started performing at Club Jokagi.

“One day, I was chewing miraa as I sat outside the club humming a certain tune when a man came and asked me to join him in the club. Little did I know that this was Jah Key Marley,” she says.

Breakthrough

Seeing the talent in her, Marley gave her chance to perform a song and he was amazed at how beautiful she did it.

Marley later groomed her into a seasoned singer by giving her a chance to be a back up singer in Jamboree Band. With time, she got hooked on miraa and marijuana.

Her music career was doing so well; at some point she went to Dubai for eight years performing with Bilenge then came back home where she met Dr Eddy a producer.

Lady Bee then joined the Calif Stable where she did songs with Nonini among other artistes.

Her transformation started on the New Year’s eve of 2011.

“I was invited to church for the first time by a friend. It so happened that it was the very first day before New Year that I was not high on drugs; I had gone to pray for an album I wanted to launch, Sitokwenda,” she confesses.

In the middle of the night, the worship leader asked if there was anybody who could do a song and her friend nudged her on.

Lady Bee reluctantly went on stage and performed Angela Chibalonza’s Bokonzi Nayo since she understood Lingala well.

 “As I sang in front of the congregation, I felt sorry for myself and the kind of life I had chosen to lead. As I went home that night, I was restless in my spirit. I felt a big void that needed to be filled.”

Many days later, she received a phone call from one of the church pastors — Fezza Shambala — who saw her perform on New Year’s eve. Fezza was also a former Congolese secular artiste but was now serving God.

“She asked me a question that pierced my heart, ‘Of what benefit would it be to gain the whole world and lose your soul?’ it hit me hard.”

She says that scripture reminded her that Jesus said, “Come as you are”.

From then on, her life changed. That was a year ago and since then, a new creature and faith was birthed in her.

She went underground for a year to nurture her faith and grow in the word of God.

“Yes, I have been missing in action for sometime, but what most people do not know is that I saw the light. I went quiet about it because I did not want to rush to make any announcements like other artistes, then I backslide along the way,” she shares.

Now she says her daily companions are her Bible and church where she spends most of her time.

“I have been singing about the filth and dirt of this world, but now I am composing righteous songs about my creator and his goodness,” says Lady Bee. Now the artiste is singing and breathing Jesus.

“My goal now is that I may attain this crown, which my saviour has promised for all who live a righteous life.

What about temptations?

“Temptations abound and many have asked if I will really hold on to Jesus when the storms come, but I know He who began a good work in me is faithful to complete it,” says the singer with joy.

She has already done her first Christian single titled John 3:17 that is receiving good airplay on gospel FM stations.

The journey is long and narrow but for now it’s one step at a time.