To many people in Kenya and beyond, Suzanna Owiyo needs no introduction. She is the voice behind the well-known Kisumu 100 struck tune. In fact, individuals unreservedly refer to her as ‘Kisumu 100’, 18 years on. And appropriately so. This is the song that catapulted her into the limelight, introducing to the higher Kenya and consequently the world the powerhouse that is Suzanna’s voice and skill.
Forty-four-year-old Suzanna was raised in Thika where her father was working and if it were up to him, she would have wound up a teacher. Nevertheless, the universe had other strategies in store for her. When they transferred back to Nyakach in Kisumu, she got the chance to discover her Luo roots and also discovered how to play the Nyatiti, a conventional Luo instrument, from her grandpa who was a gifted and prolific Nyatiti player, triggering her interest in music.
” From a young age, I utilized to admire female musicians carrying out on stage. The similarity Tshala Muana, Mariam Makeba, Nayanka Bell and Yondo Sis truly influenced me and I used to tell myself that I would want to resemble them,” she says. She was likewise considerably inspired by Anyango Nyar Japan, a renowned Japanese female artist who camped in Alego with an aim of discovering how to play the 8-stringed instrument.
In primary school, she was also active in the church choir and was among the kids’s choir that sang for Pope John Paul II when he went to Kenya in 1985.
This desire would be improved when she joined high school at Rae Girls High School where she was active in drama and music club.
Although the interest was there, she did not know how she would go about it until she came to Nairobi after high school to operate at her bro’s stationery company. “I was simply going about my work when I encountered an article on Sally Oyugi who was doing Afrojazz at Lora Blue at Corner House in Nairobi. I contacted the restaurant and they put me through to her,” she narrates.
Sally Oyugi, now deceased, took her on as a background singer, which for Suzanna was an exciting possibility to do something she had constantly wanted.
” I was happy since for me it was everything about knowing. She likewise motivated me to pursue music,” she recalls. This would be the genesis of her on-stage career.
Dream come true
A short while later on, Sally would travel to the United States and having no band to sing with, Suzanna signed up with a Congolese band as a dancer. Later on, she started doing performances of popular hits which led her to Kisumu where she belonged to an internal band performing every weekend at Kimwa Grand Hotel in Kondele, a prestigious hotel at the time. For Suzanna, this was a dream come to life. Her dad, on the other hand, protested her pursuing music
” The perception that individuals had, and still do, about female artists made him cautious of the path I had chosen however deep down I understood I was doing the ideal thing,” she states. This sensation was so instilled in her that Suzanna admits that if ever she had stage fright, it was really minimal.
It was while performing in Kisumu that an associate taught her how to play the guitar, something that would prove very instrumental in her career in the future.
” I love difficulties. When I used up that guitar, I was identified to find out. At the time there were really few girls who were playing the guitar but I figured if they could do it, I might likewise do it,” she states.
The turning point of her profession came in 2001. Kisumu was having its centenary events and the preparation committee was in search of a signature tune. When she found out about it, she chose to try her luck.
” I had actually resided in Kisumu so I understood the culture, individuals, the way of life and there was so much I might speak about. I did a demonstration and presented it to the committee and they right away took a liking to my tune,” says the vocalist.
When she carried out the tune, the crowd went wild. Her voice and the truth that she could play the guitar enthralled those in the audience and for the next number of weeks, she was constantly in the media. Kisumu 100 changed the trajectory of her life from then on.
She had actually been presented to popular manufacturer Tedd Josiah by the hip-hop duo Gidi and Maji and the moment felt best to take her music to the next level.
” I had actually been recording an album with Tedd Josiah, which was nearly complete when I dropped Kisumu 100. We wound up renaming the title of the album and launched Kisumu 100 as a single from the album. He recommended me to take the tune and run with it and it worked,” says the singer-songwriter.
The album went on to earn her a Kora Awards nomination in 2002 for ‘The majority of appealing female artiste’ and won the exact same classification at the 2003 Kisima Awards. With her effective voice, eclectic sense of style and her signature golden locks, she would go on to perform at many performances both in Kenya and abroad.
This lady from the lakeside has beautified several stages worldwide, doing what she does best– sharing her music and culture with the world. She has actually performed for noteworthy guests consisting of numerous presidents such as Barack Obama and the late Nelson Mandela who talented her a bracelet which bears Mandela’s prison number 46664.
Among her major milestones is sharing the stage with fantastic musical legends such as Youssou Ndour, Baaba Maal, Angelique Kidjo, Akon, Stevie Wonder, Patti Labelle, Alicia Keys and the late Oliver Mtukudzi whom she states was not just a colleague but likewise a brother. She has likewise gotten numerous accolades for her contribution to music amongst them the Order of Grand Warrior (OGW).
Her secret? Remaining real to herself. “I like my roots as an African and I think that I express myself much better in my native language. When I’m making up, the words flow better when they are in Luo,” says Suzanna on the instructions she took with her music. The singer fuses standard Kenyan music with conventional African instruments, and modern rhythms. Her tunes draw inspiration from the daily life of Kenyans, having interacted with many individuals through her journeys.
” I speak proficient English, Kiswahili and Kikuyu from growing up in Thika, but I chose Luo due to the fact that it defines the genuine me. Music is an international language; if it’s great, it will transcend languages. I have never hesitated about changing it to appeal to a certain crowd,” says the singer who is referred to as the ‘Tracy Chapman of Africa’.
Beyond the music.
Although she is best understood for her music, Suzanna has actually taken to providing her voice and effort to other noble causes. “I have taken a trip the world and seen how effective music is. It has provided me a platform where I can in fact make an impact, over and above my music because I likewise wish to be remembered for my deeds,” says the songstress.
This, she states, is the greatest lesson she has actually learnt from her years in the music market. This has seen her get associated with numerous activities such as the Arts in Medication program under The Mater Health center. The program, which she discovered at the University of Florida, was to help clients’ recovery by including live music in their treatment, not the typical piped music in healthcare facilities.
Another of these activities is her Soko Bila Waste campaign. “I went to the launch of the international food waste project “Believe Consume Conserve” where the highlight was just how much food waste was occurring across the food worth chain and I understood that I could sensitise people on it. It’s everything about sparking behavioural change for much better food handling practices,” says Suzanna, who is a UNEP goodwill ambassador.
This was the birth of Soko Bila Waste, which translates to ‘waste-free markets’, in 2013. She then enlisted the help of other prominent females as they moved from one market to another sensitising traders on reducing food wastage. Among their most significant achievements was preparing a meal for students at a regional primary school from food that would have otherwise gone to waste. She prepares to have an even larger nationwide campaign to assist with food security in the country by ensuring a culture of no food waste at all levels of the food worth chain.
Suzanna has also supported various charities handling women and girls such as Plan International where she is likewise a goodwill ambassador under ‘Because I am A Woman’ Campaign which targets at empowering ladies worldwide and end gender discrimination. Amongst her enthusiasm tasks is the ‘End FGM’ campaign, which she raises awareness on. She also lobbied ladies leaders to help raise medical funds for previous fighter Conjestina Achieng’.
Since music is her first love, she is keen on assisting and mentoring other musicians through the Suzanna Owiyo Art Centre in Kisumu which was developed to give young skills a platform to display their talents and get mentored.
” The factor the center remains in Kisumu is that my art is rooted there. It remained in Kisumu that I got my breakthrough so I seem like I owe them,” states Suzanna who is also Kisumu’s cultural ambassador.
” I don’t simply treat my music as a talent, I understand it’s an obligation. I wish to utilize my voice as a tool of change,” she restates.
Suzanna’s stand
With her huge audience, Suzanna is aware that her fans might not always see eye-to-eye with her on some matters with regards to her music or beyond. Among these is with her political stance.
” Things to do with politics are typically really delicate however as a citizen of this country, I likewise have a right to take whichever stand I choose. The best thing for such scenarios is to put the country initially,” she says matter-of-factly.
Another issue that pricks at her is the ongoing push for Kenyan DJs to play Kenyan music. In her viewpoint, those in position to promote Kenyan music ought to do so for the market to grow.
” Nigerian music and other foreign genres that delight in airplay are there because the people in those nations promoted their music not foreign music. That’s the same thing that we ought to do as Kenyans,” she opines.
She is, nevertheless, keen to caution Kenyan artistes from aping excessive western culture as it dilutes the quality of the Kenyan noise. “The issue with us is that we wish to import everything yet that individuality is what will sell us.”
She confirms that her originality, remaining real to herself, her passion for her craft and belief in herself is what has actually provided her the staying power in the music industry and prompts other artists to do the very same.
On motherhood
Suzanna has a 16-year-old child, Nadia, whom she refers to as her life and her motivation to work more difficult. She fasts to admit that her career and motherhood is a hard balancing act but guarantees that her child does not lose out on a good mother-daughter relationship.
” When I’m at house, I’m not Suzanna the vocalist; I’m a mom. I’m grateful that my child understands what my task entails,” says Suzanna who describes herself as a great cook, especially when it comes to standard specials like omena.
Suzanna, who states she is a disciplinarian, is specifically mindful when it concerns her daughter’s training, “I don’t wish to spoon-feed her. I desire her to chart her own course but naturally I will support her interests however much I can.”
Because noting her child’s interest in arts, especially style and music, she is keen to nurture her to her complete potential. “She had actually told me to teach her how to play the guitar and before we could find a good time to practice, she had picked up my guitar and gone on YouTube to try to find tutorials. Although she is still learning, I like that she has actually made her own way,” she states proudly.
Apart from spending time with her daughter, Suzanna has recently used up checking out books and strolling to loosen up.
With regards to her music, she is eager to assure her fans that she is working on numerous projects which will be out in the course of the year. In spite of performing at numerous business functions in the nation, the singer still performance abroad, her last efficiency remaining in Paris in early February.
She continues to prompt people to follow their enthusiasm and work hard while at it, “Music has offered me so many things that I might have just dreamt of and allowed me to meet individuals who wish to alter the world. I am grateful for the platform it has provided me to impact lives.”