Philip Mwaniki
22 December 2007
Nairobi — After a whole year's silence, the second runner-up in talent search Tusker Project Fame, Linda Muthama, has finally released her debut album and expresses the hope that 2008 will be her year.
Since the contest last year, she has not been heard in the music cycles as expected, with critics saying that she would never release an album.
Coincidentally, Valerie Kimani, the winner released her debut album a fortnight ago.
With the release of their albums, they hope to inject new energy into the local music scene with new energy to steer it away from the kapuka and genge that have saturated the market.
Linda's Christmas album is called Ne Muciare (He's born), while Valerie's is titled Baisikeli (bicycle), and after listening to them, one gets the impression that the budding singers will find a slot among the top entertainers next year because they have support from private companies.
Linda and Valerie say the albums have an African feel to them, and that they are is more of listening albums than club releases.
Linda who had strong support from in Equity Bank as she released the album, adds that she wants to give Kenyans some songs to help usher in the Christmas mood every year.
And she seems to be reaping from this effort. She has sold 10,000 copies in just three weeks - and this with scarcely any media hype.
"We always play Western music during Christmas, and much as this used to excite, the songs have outlived their usefulness and it is time we had more Christmas music that have a local touch," she says.
She adds that she plans to do a Christmas album covering the time she left Project Fame up to now.
Since she could not do a song immediately after the contest, she had to wait to mature and do the right songs, she adds.
But Linda won't rest on her laurels. She reassures fans and critics alike that during her long silence, she was studying the market, finding the right style and ensuring that once she started releasing songs, she would be consistent and maintain the same standards or better them.
"To me, music is a career and I have every intention to ensure that I grow old singing because I am also studying music at Kenyatta University," she says.
"This is why I had no hurry to get into the industry because I intend to be here for a long time, God willing."
The third-year music student has also visited the United States where she recorded music with renowned Kenyan group Jabali Afrika.
Linda, who is signed at Altimate Records, which is run by her manager, Walter Monga're, says that after her Christmas album, she will release the second in March.
"I call my music acid jazz, but with a heavy leaning on the African style and feel, which is where my strength lies, something I discovered during Project Fame," she adds. She credits her manager and studio for being patient and supportive to get her to where she is today, and says proudly that she is not a struggling artiste like many of her peers.
"There is no studio in Kenya that will put you on a salary even before you record your first album, but Altimate Records does just that, and I have to say I am lucky and would love to see many upcoming artistes get the same treatment," she says.
Mong'are, a renowned comedian, says he is happy with Linda's growth and talent, adding that she has acquired companies willing to be associated with her debut album. "The success of the Ne Muciare release has been confirmed further by the corporate endorsement.
Equity Bank, through its cashback product, has taken up all the publicity cost for the Christmas album, and this is a clear indication of the quality and value that Linda Muthama represents," adds Mong'are.
The album has been receiving massive airplay and the local FM radio stations are also giving away some copies. Easy FM has been awarding listeners with the album for the last two weeks.
Linda started her music career immediately after high school as part of a group called Dawn, who comprised her sister and friends, but it was short-lived. "Everybody in the group got jobs and we just parted ways," she recalls.
"And I got into another group, Tamani, but it turned out to be a one-hit wonder after releasing the short-lived hit, Survivor. From there she got into acting and she started out with the play, Luanda Magere, Joseph with the Technicolor Dream, a musical and Fiddler on the Roof, but she had to quit for what she calls poor pay.
"After that, I decided I wanted to be part of a band and I started checking around. And it was in that process that a friend told me of a band audition.
"When I went I was introduced to Walter who recruited me to his Altimate band and that was it."
Linda started as a background vocalist but she showed so much promise that she eventually became the lead singer, a position she still holds.
She says, however, that reconciling college and studio is her greatest challenge. "I'm very lucky to have supportive people around me, because I had a talk with my lecturers and they made it easy for me to record and attend my classes," she says. "And they are happy I never let them down." The singer's dream is to be a legend like Miriam Makeba, Anjelique Kidjo and other greats, and says she is confident she has what it takes.
"I have a career plan for 2030 and by then I really want to be big in the industry. And if all goes well, I will ensure that I don't let go of the dream."
Mong'are says he is confident that Linda will continue to set standards as she grows into the career, and that her fans can be sure that she is here to stay.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2007 The Nation. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
