Wendy Kay - Kenya's Rising Star
Kenya’s Music scene is vibrant and lively, yet full of surprises when it comes to artists on the rise. Meet Wendy Kay, Kenya’s very own Afro-Soul Sweetheart.
You may have heard of Wendy from before. Or you may have just heard her voice, back when she was credited as Kemunto circa 2016. She explains, in the above IGTV video, lifted from her handle @WendyKayMusic, why her stage name evolved over time.
Wendy is a down-to-earth young lady. Polite, kind, considerate and mild-mannered. She is not your typical diva or artiste. Talented yet humble, Wendy is an accomplished vocalist, a skilled songwriter, a learned musical producer and a frequent instrumentalist, and aspiring sound engineer. she never misses a chance to absorb new skills when it comes to music. She describes her genre as in between AfroSoul and Afropop with “a little bit of spice here and there”. By her demeanor and reactions when music is played around her, she is “infected” with a deeply contagious passion for music. She senses music, and she wants her audience to feel what she does. It’s a beautiful thing.
Wendy’s emotions and experiences are the main drivers of her music. She writes what she knows and uses her voice to share relatable stories to the world. Her tempos are often slowed and set a good mood for introspection and emotional exploration. One fan described it as : “Good melodies to quietly sip tea to”. Her faster paced songs like Stori Ni Gani, in her Debut EP My Way are fun to jam to with friends in the car for instance, although the unanimous classification for it is: “chill”.
Check out her latest music video, Samahani, below featuring Rigga, a Kenyan rapper.
According to Wendy: “Owning the creative process is very important to me: in fact I’ve been approached by a music label to sign on with them, and when I took a closer look at the contract, it wasn’t suitable for me. I make music to free my soul and my mind, entering an agreement whereby I am confined in a box is not my idea of thriving. I can make some sacrifices, but at the end of the day, the music must be mine.”
Wendy’s talent goes way back. check out this music archive from 4 years ago. Flame melodies guaranteed.
Wendy answers the Djellibah questions:
1- What is your dream for Africa?
Africa is not under-developed, it’s over-exploited. I saw that meme go around, and I completely agree with it. The continent is on fire, people are tired. People are tired of the same thing over and over again. Though I feel like African leaders are increasingly dealing with a confrontational generation that cares about positive change. In some countries, we are still sleeping, but we are feeling the pressure, and we keep praying for the best.
2- If you didn’t have to work anymore, what would you do, where would you go and what would you create?
I would travel. There is something about learning from new places that I absolutely love. If I could live my life as a traveler, and go places I’ve never been. That’s the life, man. Mozambique has a beautiful coastal line, I would love to travel there by road and come back. After that all of Africa. Sometimes there is a tendency to portray Africa in a negative light, and it sometimes feels like travelling within Africa is intentionally made difficult, unfortunately. I don’t believe in that image.
In terms of what I would make : good moments. That sounds so cliché, but I would enjoy every single moment that I create, and I would let those moments inspire my music. You know if I am being honest, I have dealing with writer’s block for quite some time, but if I am in a new environment, with positive energy, meeting new people and doing new things, it really inspires you as a creative. I really capture the energy around me. Good vibes go a long way.memories. That’s it. Creating memorable moments.
3- What do you have to say to young creators who don’t know where to start?
Start where you are. Whether you have money or not, whether you have support or not, whether or not you know where you are going, trust the voice that is telling you to do this. It’s telling you to do it for a reason, so trust the process.
