Kenyan singers Nyokabi Kariuki and Maya Amolo are the latest R&B singers to be featured on popular music platform Colors Studio.
Nyokabi, an internationally-acclaimed singer and songwriter, was first to hit the stage right after Sauti Sol's Bien Aime-Baraza, where she performed one of her popular songs 'Nazama', the closing track from her debut album 'Feeling Body'.
The dreadlocked composer wore a light blue number during her performance as her voice beautifully wavered amid a wash of violin pricks.
Nyokabi, who splits her time between Nairobi and New York, told the Colors Studio that creating her album 'Feeling Body' was tough given that she had been ill for nine months at the time.
"FEELING BODY’ was hard to make. I was sick for nine months, so I needed to process that time. While creating, I asked myself the question: “how do I talk about difficult experiences without exploiting my own pain?” she said.
The singer, who is currently on a tour of Europe, also spoke on the inspiration behind 'Nazama', the song she performed on the Colors stage.
"I performed ‘Nazama’, the final and most hopeful track from ‘Feeling Body’. On ‘Nazama’, I sing ‘I’m getting better at facing the ocean, I sink before I pray’. The ocean is a metaphor for my experience of being ill," she said.
"I have a memory of being in the ocean, and being fearful of the waves’ movements. This memory taught me how to listen to my body, to see myself for where I am, and to learn how to accept my current situation. In short, this song is about how I learned to listen to my body."
Up next was Maya Amolo, yet another Kenyan Alt-R&B singer-songwriter who performed 'Where Ya Been?’, a highlight from her newly released deluxe album ‘Asali (Sweeter)’.
The 23-year old, who in 2022 was named Spotify's Fresh Finds Africa inaugural artist, delivered a magnetic performance on the Colors stage, dressed resplendently in a black structured corset and a matching skirt.
Maya, whose vocal prowess and visual compositions have earned her rave reviews in the alternative press, also splits her time between New York and Nairobi and has also in the past taken part in a one-on-one workshop on the best practices of using the Spotify platform as well as received in-app and social media support to help her grow her fan base.
