Award-winning Kenyan artist Nikita Kering has joined the list of artists who have shared their thoughts on why Kenyan music is not as big as it ought to be.
Nikita also touched on why she feels Kenyan artists find it difficult to grow in the industry and compete with other nations.
According to the 20-year-old artist Kenyan music lacks identity due to colonisation, making it difficult for artists to identify with and be known for a particular genre.
"If Kenyan music was to hit, we still don't know what Kenyan music is.
I think we were heavily colonized that our music identity didn't even show. Our identity lacks in very many things. We have no distinctive identity or genre," Nikita Kering is heard saying in an edited video shared on Instagram.
Nikita might have a point because, in most African countries, the nation's music has to identify genres that you can use to pinpoint them.
For example, Tanzania has bongo, West Africa has afro beats, and South Africa is well known for Amapiano. These nations have capitalized on their identifying music and gone global with it.
Many may argue that Kenya has gengetone but we all know how that genre is looked down upon and associated with vile things. Let us be honest at the peak of gengetone, most Kenyans said it was just a local music genre.
While others argued that gengetone music was just a passing cloud. And with that, the genre wasn't even given a chance.
Below are a few comments from netizens in regard to Nikita's view:
katherinerinarrr: I agree. Not only in music. Look at other African countries and their traditional clothing, in Nigeria nearly every clan/tribe has different traditional clothing.. In Kenya everyone heavily relies on the maasai traditional clothing . She has a point
theemclane: Original Genge(1998-2007) was one of the biggest, African genres but again Kenyans decided to opt out of it and "Adopt new styles" that's how we lost the plot.
theemclane: Original Genge(1998-2007) was one of the biggest, African genres but again Kenyans decided to opt out of it and "Adopt new styles" that's how we lost the plot.
romeo_iz_me:Question is... is it a bad or a good thing? To me, I feel like it's something good, like we don't have to identify ourselves with just one single genre, that'd be boring! Look @ the US for example, they have hip hop, rnb, country music etc.. But angalia TZ, ukishacheza bongo flava for just 5 mins ni hivyo! You're done for the week. But in kenya unaweza skiza all kind of flavors
twerknation254: That's not a matter of colonization, but a lack of structured talent and promotion to garner international exposure.
flaviachege:She has a point. Even in language, when a Tanzanian talks or a South African or Nigerian does, it'll take you not so long before you tell where they are likely from. We borrowed a lot from the colonizers and it's not working for us unfortunately.
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