 She goes by the name of Elizabeth Nana. Welcome to the show. Thank you. Karibusana. I like your ring. Is that a ring? Yes, it is. What is that? It has some weed inside though. Nice. Yeah. Me na kumbe a little Russian. I know. Okua fashion tips apa. I know. We learn okua get jahazia, okua fashion tips. No, I mean ta gonga, gonga. I wish na na gonga, gonga. It's very comfortable. It's very comfortable. It looks nice as well. Thank you. You're looking all glam, dolled up. Thank you for coming through. Anytime. You got into the industry about two years ago. Your first track was Paro. Professionally. Professionally. Yes. What does that mean exactly? Before I used to do like a bongo type of music and then I met Rafiga and Rafiga was like you can change your music to something else. Why did you do bongo? You know when you're new and you believe you can write music, you can write anything. So by then I didn't really know myself. So after I met Rafiga I think I totally knew myself like what I would do. Yeah. So when you say you started writing bongo initially as you were trying to learn yourself as an artist, your influences were mainly bongo music? Yes. By then I was still in school and I used to listen to a lot of music and also I'm a songwriter. So it was so easy to write that type of music. Who was your biggest influence way back then? Lady J.D. Lady J.D. Why her? I really like her because she's so authentic and like all of her songs have messages so I find it very nice to me. Yeah. If I may ask what attracted you to the music industry? When being a songwriter, I was a songwriter myself. I am a songwriter myself and just being able to talk out to people also and then right now I'm doing Afrofusion and it's a mixture of Lua English and Kiswayli for what I do I'm doing and to find like not most people my age are so much into their languages. But for me I find it very nice being able to speak to other people through my language and through my songs. I like the way you're fusing it. That's why it's called Afrofusion I guess. Thank you. The way you're fusing like a local vernacular and the English and Swahili to create something so beautiful. Your latest track, we're going to talk about that later on. You also featured Abhi. Yes, Abhi. Abhi is a singer songwriter. Has he had any influence in your music? If not, who has been helping you as an uprising artist on your way? Abhi, I used to listen to Abhi when I was in school and I really thought he's like this old guy like because of his voice. He has a very deep voice and he's very super talented. So I met him someday one time when I went to go down for a gig and actually he liked my music but we had never met. So he was like, hey Nana, I really didn't know him but I was following Abhi by then and then I was still young and I really didn't know much about him. So one day I was going through some pictures like profile pops up and then I saw him. I was like, I know you from somewhere. So I inboxed him and he said, yes, you have met like twice at Go Down and I was shocked and I was like, okay. Then we talked, we talked and I told him how I loved his music and I really thought he was old and we became friends and he would teach me one or two in the industry. So we became friends and I told him, okay, I am having this song and I would like you to future in it and he was like, fine. It's okay. So like we are both like fans for each other's music. That's what I would say. Fun over fun. Yeah. That's nice. Any other influences who has been like teaching you the ropes? What to do, what's not to do? Public appearances and all that. So most of the things I would say I've learned to myself like following other artists. I really love Yemi. I find she's these amazing artists who really love what she does and she's keeping it African. So I try to keep it African and the fact that I'm doing low music also. So I really like her and then I watch a lot of artists performing, female artists performing which also, I'm a performer so I have to learn from other artists because no one is perfect. So yeah. Okay, there was a I hope I'm pronouncing this correctly. Paro. Paro. Yes. Baby Gochina. Yes. And then there is Terimos. Terimos. Terimos. Okay. And then there is a rumba called Dogepacho. Come Back Home. Come Back Home. Yeah, it's a collab though. And then now I have Nisame. And then Nisame. Yes. Someone looks at your track record with your songs. All of them had low influences but Nisame is mostly Kiswa hili. It has Kiswa hili, English and low. Like it's all mixed up. It's all mixed up. So how would you describe your sound instead of just afrofusion? I would say it's authentic. That's what I would say. Yeah. So you're trying to stay close to the roots. Yes. Yes. Because you find like most people are no longer into their roots. They are so American or Swatanzania. And so you find like. With that regard, how would you describe like the current music in Nairobi and Kenya? Some of them are keeping it real like they're just being them but some of them fake kids. That's what I would say. What would you do given the opportunity to change the music industry? What would you do differently? There are many young upcoming artists who are very good outside there. I think and I believe they should be given more opportunities to be had than always having like the same same people. Yeah. So you feel like the veterans are not giving everyone else the opportunities they deserve. Yeah. I would say that because you find like a young artist who is very very good. Actually there's so many amazing artists that are better than some of us. Like they are even better than me. I would say that but they are still they are like they will do interviews. They will be given that chance but not that much. So at times you ask yourself like where is the problem or what is not happening. But if they are given that chance, I think the Kenyan industry will be at a greater level. Like you see like what's happening in other countries also like Tanzania or Nigerian. The younger artists are given that chance and they really do good. Yeah. So it's like competing competing with the veterans. I would say that. So you would like a level playing field where everyone else can compete with everyone else. Yes. I think that was the idea. I think music is all about competition in other countries. Like people are really competing but you know. Trying to give good quality in music. Everything video quality like audio quality. Yeah. Content wise as well. Yeah, content. There's been a big debate with the content and I'm sure you've heard it as an artist yourself. Yes. Because as an artist you also sample everyone else who's on the radio on the airwaves. What do you have to say about the content? Is it true that we lack in content? What do you feel about that? As a songwriter as well. I think we have content. Like every artist has a different way of bringing out a message to people. Like right now there's some songs I would say that for the teens and then there are those who sing for the middle age and then there are those who sing for the waze. But why that distinction though? It shouldn't a song be open to everyone? Okay, you will find an old person on a middle age person really saying like which song? Can we not say any song? Like this song for the youth nowadays people dance to you. Just sing it. No. You will find an old person saying which often I would say but like what are those how are they in badini? Yeah. But then you will find There's an audience for it. Yeah, there's an audience for every artist. You have to try like know your audience. Yeah. And music is is about making money. So you have to know like okay this audience will give me this or this audience I just want to have fun or I want to take it professionally or I just want to make money. You know with that money regard some artists say when you're after the money you're selling out you're not really doing it for your craft anymore and that's when you start going wrong. So what do you have to say about that? Okay, okay. One thing I know is I will spend on an audio. I will spend on a video. I will spend on marketing. So you need return. You need return. You can't just keep okay when you are starting you have to let those fish shows like people have to know who you are and what you do. But as time goes as you spend like you have to get some return. Apart from this kizotun and other things like you need shows you we all need shows. Yeah. So I think as an artist as much as you are doing it just try to think like okay I have to start making money or else you'll be using money and you'll never get in return which is like you're doing nothing in the industry because like in Kenya we'll get artists from outside to come and perform in our country but you'll find in other countries it's so hard to get a Kenyan artist to go there. Going to perform there. Yeah. Is it our content is not really like breaking through or there actually I sometimes don't understand that. Yeah. Are we creating music just for Kenyans basically? But at times we still we still sing in English but we can't get there. We're not breaking through. Yeah we're not breaking through. So I don't know it's us we don't do more work or we sometimes I don't understand how those people outside will really penetrate in our industry and us will not penetrate that. But for us it's a lot harder. Yeah. I think we need to have this debate especially on the E-Circuit we'll put a panel on one of these findings Yeah. But now you as an individual artist what's the hardest hard to live, how to go through to get to where you are right now within you track me some ahead. So when it's normally marketing like that's like the biggest thing and then the rotation and then the fact that I do most of the things myself I have a team that I work with a very amazing team but you know sometimes it's really good to have a manager but also the managers they have their issues like when there's a manager but you're doing a lot but you're not getting anything in return. But I always believe in hard work you know there's always somewhere who someone someone would really love your music and every artist has to go through steps to make it there. So it's just part of it? Yeah it's it's part of it because if you just make it like once you'll be like you'll be relaxed like okay you want to want to work for it you would want to work for it but as you go step by step you'll always remember I came from somewhere you'll appreciate where you are yeah. I like that interesting what about your favorite part of being an entertainer of being a musician? Favorite part is traveling meeting a lot of new people meeting people you only see on TV or you would like to meet. Yeah. Nice. So as I said earlier Elizabeth Nanna that's her name on YouTube make sure you go subscribe subscribe subscribe like comment do all that fun stuff and make sure you share as well we're about to premiere her new song Nisha Mehe Yes. In the video there's Abhi one of our own I don't know why I was not called for the video but Maybe next time Okay. So like most of my songs I do in Kisumu this one I've worked with Abhi I've worked with Kealo Johnson Kealo and I've worked with our studio from Kisumu Mgf by Jamal Malik so and everything is all Kisumu yeah. Tell us about Nisha Mehe before we play it so what is it talking about Naniya unataka kukame okay this is the story behind it like in a relationship you find like Ukiniko seha you want me to forgive you like most time you will play on a woman and you will want the woman to forgive you and like when you find your girl playing on you you will not easily forgive her so from the from the what from the video that's the main thing like forgive you can forgive your lover yeah so yeah that's basically what Nisha Mehe is all about Is it based on a true story Not really it's just writing and being creative things happen you know these are things that happen so I like to write my music from things that happen around like something like when I grow old someone can still listen to and just be like this is that song yeah then do a song that I know in future I'll look at myself and be like was that really me what was I doing yeah. Nice thank you so much for coming through we were asking a question earlier and guys back at home also keep on answering on Y254 channel and the e-circuit the question is how much influence should your parents have on your relationship when you're dating or when you're married well okay when you're dating really none you can just do the introduction but when you're married yeah maybe 20% not like 100% just kidogo yeah but you know in in most guys are mamas babies yeah like most guys but so with a patakijana 100% he will involve the mum which for us ladies you like so I think the parents should be like 20% yeah yes Zerre first of all I don't know this young lady to my right very young of course no the 20% is true if you watch the beginning of the show 20% was like none and you were like and mankind and mankind I don't know about mankind but now Nana is saying 20% you're like yeah but if you watch the show in the morning I clearly stated 20% parents should be in your relationship like 20% you know to offer advice to to guide you and all that because this is a path they had also taken yeah and they're still doing it and they're still doing it and they probably know better exactly so 20% yeah the 20% thing but with a sieve of course because not yes they are parents but not every parent is a good parent sorry to say true true also so take it with what's it called a grain of sanda I can't remember that saying with a sieve I'll just say it in kikuyu Mike ichungi you know he wants to say it in kikuyu he's just it's a direct translation na kikuyu una ichunga so it's a kichungi una ichunga kenyuna pachia I need that to have tea somewhere take the good throw away the bad see so so guys keep on answering on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and that's on why to find the isa cute until then elizabeth nana nisa meha