PHAT!buzz May 2020 Issue #232

Since 2000

MAY 2020 FREE COPY | No. 232

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FENA

GITU PHAT!buzz™ is now in its 19th year of telling you Wazup!

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fena gitu Pb: Introduce yourself.

FG: My name is Fena Gitu, a recording and performing artist based in Nairobi, and one of Kenya’s leading female musicians and lifestyle influencers.

Pb: How did you get into Music?

FG: I was raised in a musical family, won a French singing competition in 2008 at Alliance Francaise that led to me starting out as a backup vocalist for MDQ and later Dela, before going solo in 2009. Having established a fan-base at my Alma Mater USIU through university, this gave me a great steppingstone into the live performance scene, performing severally at Blankets and Wine, Thursday Nite Live and many more.

Pb: As we Celebrate Mother’s Day in May, tell us more about your mum and the support she has given you so far ..

FG: My mother has always been very supportive of my musical endeavors, even joining me on stage at my 10th Anniversary celebrations. She keeps me grounded and holds me down in prayer. Being a single parent, she did her best to provide for her two girls the best education and opportunities, so I work hard every day to be better for my family and take care of them and future generations.

Pb: Do you have any upcoming projects coming up before the end of the year?

FG: Releasing a few more singles from the album “Unleashed”, then an EP coming towards the end of the year.

Pb: How would you describe your Music?

Pb: Any words of encouragement to those who look up to you?

FG: Urban Soul. It is a fusion of contemporary sounds ranging from Rnb, Afropop, Reggae, Dancehall, Rap, with a signature soulful Fenamenal sound.

FG: There is no such thing as overnight success. It takes years of commitment to the cause, practicing and perfecting one’s craft, humility and eagerness to learn.

Pb: How would you describe the process of the journey you’ve taken so far? And what lessons has it taught you?

Pb:Any Last words?

FG: My journey has been 10 years long and counting. I have gone through incredible challenges crossing over from being a niche to mainstream artist and celebrated great accomplishments such as a Women in Business Award 2017, PMVA Awards among others.

The key lessons learnt have been consistency, patience, financial literacy and leadership skills.

Pb: It’s been a couple of hard weeks due to COVID-19 how have you been keeping busy?

FG: It’s been tough and boring without gigs, but it has allowed me to further explore my options in the digital sphere as a musician, brand and lifestyle influencer. The down time is also good for self-reflection amidst everything going on, sharing positivity and hoping to help the community in any way possible where called upon.

FG: A phenomenal man or woman is An-Apologetically a Go-getter, Unstoppable.

@Fena_menal @Fenamenal @Fena_menal Fena Gitu

DJ KELV254 Pb: Introduce yourself.

Deejay Kelv254: My name is Kelvin Lugaye Also Known as DjKelv254.

Pb: What are your Most Defining moments as a DJ? Deejay Kelv254: When I outdid my Tutor (Trainer) in My 1st Ever Event.

Pb: What were your biggest Challenges when starting out and what are they now?

Deejay Kelv254: The biggest challenge when one is starting out is access to Deejay Equipment, proper mentorship and connections to events. As a creative you constantly need to rebrand and reinvent yourself so that you can stand out from the rest that has been my biggest challenge, creating a niche and a sound for myself but am working on it.

Pb: Away from Deejaying, what else do you do?

Deejay Kelv254: I am a Creative Arts Consultant. I Work for A Non-Governmental Organization called Miss Koch Kenya as their Talents & Entrepreneurship Program Manager and Am Also The CEO and Founder of Tripple Touch Entertainment.

Pb: Did your Parents support you as you started out as a DJ? Deejay Kelv254: Not really my mom would always tell me to look for a job, but later on she started supporting me after realizing gigs and events could support my bills etc.Â

Pb: Any words of wisdom for all looking to be a Deejay?

Deejay Kelv254: Patience, listening, hard work, networking and being grateful are virtues you must have as you grow and find your way in this competitive market Pb: Any last words (anything you would want to share) Deejay Kelv254: Small Steps Leads to Bigger Steps, start with what you have now.

Pb: How do you balance out work and your personal life?

@DjKelv254

Deejay Kelv254: Discipline is the word; you need to be self-disciplined and time conscious in everything you do.

@DjKelv254 @DjKelv254

Manu Dibango was Cameroon’s, and perhaps Africa’s, best-known jazz saxophonist. Starting in the 1950s, he became a globe-trotting musician, living and performing in France, Belgium, Jamaica, Zaire, and Cote d’Ivoire, as well as in Cameroon.

In 1960, Dibango was one of the founding members of the Zairean band African Jazz, with whom he spent five years. Dibango earned the world’s attention with 1972’s Soul Makossa, a work that actually had precious little of the Makossa sound

MANU DIBANGO Emmanuel Dibango N’Djocke better known as Manu Dibango inspired some of the greatest artists of our time.

in it; he scored later hits with Seventies and Ibida.

Dibango’s output was prodigious and multifaceted.

He worked with musicians as diverse as Fela Kuti, Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, Don Cherry, and

Dibango was born into a musical Protestant Christian household to parents who represented two historically rivalry Cameroonian ethnic groups: his mother was Duala (Douala), and his father was Yabassi. Dibango’s musical aptitude became evident at an early age through his singing at the local church, where his mother was a choir leader. In 1949, when he was 15 years old, Dibango was sent to school in France.

After completing high school in Saint-Calais and Chartres, he furthered his studies in Reims and in Paris.

the Fania All-Stars. In addition to being one of the leading jazz saxophonists of his generation, Dibango also ran nightclubs, directed orchestras, and started one of the first African musical journals.

A later release, Polysonik -- featuring English rapper MC Mello, Cameroonian singer Charlotte M’Bango leading a choral section, and sampled pygmy flutes -- showed Dibango continuing to flourish and expand in challenging new directions.

Manu Dibango died in Paris, France on March 24, 2020 from the effects of the COVID-19 virus.

He started taking classical piano lessons at age 17, and a few years later he began studying saxophone, having been captivated by the music of Duke Ellington, Sidney Bechet, Louis Armstrong,

@ManuDibangoOfficiel

and other jazz artists. Making quick progress on both instruments, he joined a jazz band with noted Cameroonian guitarist and composer Francis Bebey and soon became a recognized entity within the local jazz circuit.

Manu Dibango

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Story By: Njeri Kimani | Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia

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