 We now move on to music and lifestyle, so we want to have a taste of the fresh music in the industry as well as having a good conversation with some of the artists. Now we have our first guest with us, so we will be talking to Mr. Benson Munyao. So Benson Karibu, introduce yourselves, tell us what you do. Thank you, thank you, thank you very much indeed for inviting me in Y254. I'm very much impressed to be with you. Yes. Do you know what you are talking about? KBC, you know KBC operation in 1995 and I'm thinking where was I in 1995, you know. How many years? Several, several indeed. Yeah, so it feels good to be back. I am very, very, very happy to be here again. Looks different, how's the place? You know, decades later. A lot of changes, a lot of stations and we thank God because of you. Okay, we're glad to have you. So now tell us what you do. Who's Mr. Benson? Oh, Benson is me here. My real names are Benson Munyao. I'm born again, a vigilist. I come from Mkweni County and that is where I grew up. All those years, 50 years now, not very young. I thank God because of this grace. I worked along that period serving the Lord and I thank God because of this grace and masses and protection upon my life. So that is where I come from, that is where I grew. That is where my music journey began in Mitubu Village, Mkweni County. Mitubu Village, Mkweni County, that is where the story begins. That is where it began. Okay, so did you start music, take music from early age until now or did you do something in between? Oh, I began music while I was in primary school. I used, in weekends I go for kwaia practices. There were some pastors who used to teach us how to play guitar, how to compose songs. And I gained the interest of being a musician from there. Used to compose some songs which is the kwaia and we sing in the church that you are happy and you are also happy. It's not easy. When you compose a song and you find people are singing your song. Ah, it is amazing, true, true. So your music was born in church? True, it was born in church. So could we say that is why you went for gospel or it is more than that? Actually that is why I went for gospel because in those pastors who were mentoring us they taught us the ways of being and working for the Lord and that is where I grew and I gained the confidence in the Lord. In a church there I see African Island church actually. Me toobu. That is where I started. Okay. Yes. So would you say why is gospel important or people sing gospel music but what you make of it is all of it sung in the right way or are there people who are singing with different agendas? Music, one there is a friend of mine, Bishop Mondul, normally tell me music without anointing. Even in the gospel music is not music. Music that can touch the hearts of people. Music that can draw the attention of God. Music that you can worship. God, God our creator, our maker, who is in heaven. And you touch his heart that he can come and do miracle. That is the music that I am hearing. The music that can touch souls. The music that can evangelize to someone. That is the music that God wants us. The gospel. I am speaking on the gospel music. God wants us to minister songs that can touch souls. Because I think my sister you can see any church before it starts there is praise and worship. There are presentation of choir or interviewing to artist. In any celebration in Kenya you will find musicians there. Why? Because music has its value in congregation or in our lives. Day to day. You will find people grazing there they have small radius with USB. Music in playing. But they are grazing kato. The value of music. At the center of our lives we revolve around music or music revolves around us. I am not sure which one. So basically what you are saying is that if you sing gospel music it should be impactful. Something that will bring people closer to God and will touch the heart of God. So this is your motivation when you sing gospel music. What is your motive when you sing when you go and release a song? What do you aim that it achieves? First, like the current song release that I released with Anastasia Mukaba. It was after people had passed a lot of challenges during covid and after the last phase of last year is when I got this song God was speaking to me. Yes we have passed a lot of things but God has still asked good plans for us in Jeremiah 29.11. One my music normally get it from the verses in the Bible because it is a gospel music and when you listen to that song you will hear that it is purely from Jeremiah 29.11 after the children of Israel were in Jerusalem. We were held captive in Babylon during the time of Nebuchadnezzar and then God comes and tells them in Jeremiah 29.10 wow after 7 years I will visit you and give you good words of hope and then in verse 11 he says I know the plans I have for you plans not to do you evil but plans to do you good and to give you an expectant hand then I said kumbe God has good plans for us after all what we have undergone God is still having good thoughts for us one in music first it blesses me first before I bless others before I release I normally do that practicing and also feel this song is touching this song is from the Bible these words from the Bible are encouraging me start making tune out of that verse then out of that it blesses people since I released that song men have been blessed oh God has good plans even you listen us God is having good plans for you so it's a song to give hope that God still has good plans for us would you sing for us that song or any verse yeah please do I can I will die for you for you for you for you I will die I will die Unani wazi ya meima Unani wazi ya e Zaidi ya yote Unani wazi ya e Zaidi ya yote Unani wazi ya meima Wow, wow, what a great song. Yes. Amazing. So that's how you get all of your songs through when you go, when you do your study and you read the Bible that's the only way you get your inspiration or you have other ways in which you get inspirations to do songs. Oh, sometimes also I listen to other artists. I hear how they are combosing songs that touch people. Sometimes I see, I can go in church, listen to messages from pastors and then I see oh, surely I need to combo such a song to reach people, to reach people through the music but also sometimes I'm inspired because when I release songs people call me and tell me wow we have seen your song in YouTube, we have seen your song like now in KBC, Y254 and we have been blessed oh, that gives me a mileage and to know that people are being interested in music so that motivates me and I still venture more to release good songs to touch people wow So what is that one is there any particular comment that just strikes out that you got from your audience someone who listened to your song and you just knew that this was from God Yeah, after I released this song and another song the fifth album that said one of the songs was Namayamungi Natosha in my fifth album that I released in 2019 and people clearly were saying oh clearly the grace of God is sufficient we are saved by the grace of God we live by the grace of God whenever we work in the morning we are under the grace of God and then people were saying really this song is touching because we are living by the grace of God not by might, not by our power not by what we do but by the grace of God so when people were commenting that I used to say kumbe God is blessing people it is not about me I don't brag kumbe God is blessing people I say glory to God and how do you do ensure that you do that you don't take the glory for yourself and you live it to God wow I normally control myself very much because once you start pride always discourages pride he says once you humble yourself he will lift you and those who lift themselves he shans them down so I normally tell God to give me a humble heart when people are saying oh we are blessed to say oh glory to God okay that is what I normally do alright one song that has really blessed you in your life that has spoken to you maybe after you have released it and you are going through something and your song came in hardy to encourage I am referring to my latest release the one I have just sung now because we were after a very difficult period and I remember when the schools were closed my son came in the house oh dad, if the world is ending let it end because I cannot wait to see all this suffering I told him no even in the early times when you read in the Bible there were spangu, there were sicknesses but God protected his people say truly yes told him just calm down God is in control so I watched many people people sitting in the houses just not going to church listening praying together some families came very close they used to pray together me we used to pray together with my family so after I said no I have to what about these after all these sufferings God has protected me I have never been admitted nor my family but now I have seen God take us through that period children are now back to school going back to church it was not a song about me alone but the entire country that God has good plans for us as a nation so that song I released after I had seen what we had gone through masks everywhere that protected us we thank God for the initiative of our government and also protection in the in the transport industry and people were wow where are we heading but now God gave me those words that he has good plans for me and you so that is amazing and now do you have I understand that you have a background in military has that played any role in inspiring your music or anything that you currently do now it has really because when I'm serving God speaks to me He speaks also through the servants of God some of the messages I get when our chaplains are preaching I get a message there and I go and compose songs I know it will break my fellow colleagues so some songs I get from reading the Bible others I get when our pastors are ministering so I can say I have also released several songs there I have also released some songs with some choirs there in our place and they were very blessed I can say they are very blessed and tell us as we come to a close about your music growth because you started music back in the days 1990s so how do you keep growing musically one thing I make sure that I read the Word of God two I normally interact with musicians you can they are saying that say buzz of the same feathers true so I normally make sure that I interact with musicians those who started producing songs earlier than me and those who are releasing those who have made hit songs I normally make sure I interact with them know why they are moving I normally visit studios that are mostly known I visit them and know what they are doing what they have current the programs they have for recording and also guitarists people play guitarists I normally interact them I think about music today I have not just kept silent and said I have just been interact with the people in the music industry and especially those who are singing the true gospel they are learning the music what would you say is the place of mentors in anyone's journey especially in the music career the place of mentors in the music career I can say I have been in Kasanga music shop I have been in his studio I have sat with him he has encouraged me he has taught me a lot I have also had an encounter with the Kamaanga studio and my latest release with Twigga studio and he has motivated me very much because he is a musician himself and he is a minister of the word of God and when you are with him you are in the same frequency he speaks every things he speaks musically and I tell you he is a good mentor so I have been interacting with the people in the music industry both in studios in shops and even we meet in other places and share we have cup of tea and also not forget you those in the media I also meet and share know how music is being marketed how in YouTube in such interviews like this one so it is all round you cannot grow without a mentor so they have a very important place so now you want to give your shout outs but first do we have anything we need to look out for any music coming up ya currently I am working on my sixth album by God Grace I believe in around August I will be releasing my sixth album that is why I have done a lot of songs prepared written but I have to check its impact into the lives of people okay amazing thank you for coming on board it was glad having you so you can give your shout outs on this camera to your people and tell our guys where they can get your music ya you can get my music in YouTube in Facebook Ben Mewes when you go to YouTube search evangelist Ben Son Mewes you will get my songs there in Facebook you will get my songs there and you will be blessed any shout outs you want to give outs I just say let us have faith in God let us trust in this God we might have been passing a lot of challenges in our lives but if our God visited the people of Jerusalem after 7 years and he gave them hope even you it is not late God can visit you and change your life if you believe and trust in Him our reference verse is Jeremiah 2911 God has good plans for us he has good thoughts he is ready to give us an expected hand let us trust upon this God and he is going to do great things into our lives let us not despair don't you despair don't you despair thank you again for coming on board we want to hear your song we will close with your song if you are feeling down you have been encouraged by this but it is good encouragement so let us hear from him your song take it away