 Wakwa and my beautiful people This is Mandy aka Kabaya aka Manzi wa Nairobi and my new album Flavor is out on all streaming platforms. Make sure you run it up, tell a friend, tell a friend. Don't miss out. Love you. What's up everybody? Welcome to SPM Buzz. This is Buzz It's Taz and my good name is Miskitinji. Guys today I'm hanging out with a star but before I introduce her please make sure you subscribe to SPM Buzz because I mean why not guys? Why not? Subscribe? Alright. Now today I am hanging out with a star you love her music you have seen her online she's not only just a writer a songwriter but a performer as well. Hi Mandy. Hello, how you doing? Good thank you. Lakin yukwa social media you're so loud. Oh my God, am I? Your words or your songs are kind of you know very famine and you know just picking. Is it like the same way you are in just in real life like Amanda? Is that Amanda same as Mandy? More or less it's not but it also is but also I can't be like that when I'm interacting with people. You know like there's limitations kidogo. Inabidi, inabidi. Now you have a new album out. Congratulation. Let me ask you how was it just creating this album and how long did it take it to actually just decide now we are ready to give to the people. It took me about six months of a lot of back and forth a lot of sessions but all in all it was a beautiful process I think it's one of my most enjoyable albums I've made. I loved working with the different producers I worked with new producers like Sedo someone I've never worked with before so it was just a lot of learning and a lot of growth. I mean I know it's so hard to ask like an artist if you have a favorite song on that album but maybe you could be having one do you? I do I have like maybe two or three. I like Please it's track number seven I like Before I Go I like Spoil I did with Rico Beats I think those are my top three. Those are your top three. You have some favorite. Most artists don't have favorites. I love them but it's okay. Now you have also been named Equal Africa Ambassador for this man by Spotify. How do you feel? I feel seen I feel appreciated I feel like I'm heading towards the right direction. It's a very sad feeling but I'm very thankful for the people who supported me till I got to where I got to. Congratulations. We can't really wait for more in all those billboards. New York Times Square. We can't wait to see that. Now you call yourself wife material. Guys in case you didn't know Mandy calls herself wife material I'm so interested to know why do you call yourself that? Do you feel like you are actually wife material? We are all wife material. It's the measurements that are different but you are all wife material. I just took it as an ironic title because sometimes I do things and I see men in the comments we are going to marry these are the women you are going to marry so it's kind of ironic but it's also truthful. What makes it truthful? It's true What does it take to be? I mean I can cook I can't clean you'll have to hire a maid or two or three I'm nice I'm fun I'm loving Wife material The men on the comments section do you agree what Mandy is saying? I mean she doesn't like washing it's not like she can't wash but she does not like do you guys agree with her? Let us know on the comments section. Now let's also talk about why we're here today Hassel Sasai in this initiative we're part of it but you've been part of the one that Mutoni drama queen how was the experience there and what are your expectations with now the Hassel Sasai initiative as well and also what is going to be your contribution? For me what I can say is I think this is a very great initiative I think Kenya needs a lot more spaces where we facilitate the growth of creatives I feel like my experience during perform was amazing I learnt a lot of things the business aspect the legal so many things you need to learn as a creative so I would encourage everyone who's seeing this who's in music who feels like they don't have a sense of direction I'd advise you to apply to this in kubeta there's a lot of things you're going to learn a lot of things that are going to shape who you are as a creative what my contribution is going to be I'm just here to support anything that facilitates growth I am there because I understand how hard it is to be a creative on your own navigating a very tough industry so anything that is for the creatives mi am there cheering on That's the way to go now talking about the same aspect of now growth I think you came into the limelight in 2016 around there and I know it was your experience back then and right now especially having gone through this master classes is not the same what are those challenges that you experienced starting off and right now you can feel like this is just a walk over right now I think the biggest challenge I had was releases from recording a song to doing a video to doing marketing it was very hectic for me but being in spaces like these have helped me grow, learn and understand what I can do and just creating a system for myself kifika michawamwezi na fakuani me patawimbo na fakuani onsets na fakuani shapanga release so there's things like that that used to bug me before but now it's tunam kasubu na tunafanya too what song do you consider your breakout song for most people it's sirudihom the remix the remix is what now drove people's attention towards me okay now let's go back to the wife material because you know sirudihom it feels like this a sati woman who is saying you know sirudihom leo you know and this is what I'm doing today you know how do you think men perceive the way you talk about sex openly and intimacy not even just men you know the society how do you feel it reacts to your messages to be quite honest I don't care because I feel like as a country we are very hypocritical like if we decide to look at the stats of the kind of content people consume very sexual content you'll find Kenya top 3 so how does my music and how I dress and how I move and how I talk it shouldn't bother anyone because we want to hide behind closed doors in the dark doing bad things and doing ill mannered things to each other but then when I come out and I say something like I like this guy I want you to take me home I think it's a bit hypocritical but also I don't care I'll just say what I want to say do you feel like this is what I'm doing and let's not be hypocritical do you feel like it could affect your brand in any way in terms of endorsements I used to think that but I work with a lot of corporates both in public so it's never really affected me I think at the end of the day what matters is how I package myself how I carry myself so imagining yakuza event kahi niko skimpi nina shout I think people like me for how I carry myself outside the music and how I also brand myself yes it's a bit riske but it's not all out ok now you have confirmed over a time that you are not dating but what's your relationship like with him I feel like I should just date him I feel like I should just date him I feel like I should just date him but he's my good friend we've known each other for almost 10 years now even before the music so it's more of a working relationship we work on a lot of things music based we're about also venturing into events together so I think it's a working relationship but maybe people look at us and they're like oh they go so good together but I don't know I'm still young, I'm still having my fun I'll hang out with him a lot so if you see me out there with him see piggy pictures chikwa bushes oneeza pigatufu really because there's really nothing going on alright now of course because you're here we have to talk about because she said that she's the best and she has been giving you time to do your thing and now that she is back in music she's the best but you responded what do you have to say about just her comparing herself to you I think it's a bit absurd but I also admire her efforts if I was in her position and I looked at someone like me who's so successful in what they're doing pya meaning get jam I'd be so mad at myself at her, at everyone you get so I think it's cute that she admires me and she admires my work and everything I've been able to do on my own and I don't jump from one thing to another and cloud chasing like I just let my work speak for itself so if she feels like it's a great stress relief for her I recommend mental health is very important so if you need to diss me for your mental health just go ahead what artist rather female artist that you feel is in the same category as your genre that you consider someone you could look up to I wouldn't say look up to at this point as a female but I feel like I may pick up place I don't need to be looking up to anyone I am enough so maybe I can look up to myself but what I can say is I admire all the other female rappers who are doing an amazing job right now but for me I just look up to myself that's enough Is there anyone you can probably just comment their job? I love Femiwan's project the Tokamuiki I think I love her project from the first track to the last one it's absolutely amazing it's vibes, I'm a rap na yoni kazi norma yosuki to raisi ya kufana back to your album what else are we expecting now in terms of how you're pushing me to know you want us to consume your music what are your plans? my plan is to basically understand what mind frame people are in in terms of my creativity and my music I want to understand what sounds they like hearing me because there's a lot of sounds in there but also in terms of marketing me and my team are going to do what we need to do to make sure they hear me more I've seen on the internet or even just forums whereby we've had people say that female artists are not being seen especially in Kenya do you have the same sentiments and do you feel like maybe there's something others are not doing or you also not doing what are your thoughts about that? I think we're being seen I feel like that's just something people have tried to say so many times to overlook our efforts now more than ever there are so many female artists who are thriving so many female rappers singers most successful dancers are even women because they are creatives at the end of the day I feel like it's a narrative that needs to stop because once we keep on telling ourselves the same thing it becomes reality and that's not our reality I feel like it's just a lie and women are doing amazing things right now doing wonderful things making amazing music and that's what we need to be focusing on right now How do you feel when you actually see that Kenyans consume more Tanzanian music than they do to our very own type of music? Funny enough I also get a lot of Tanzanian listeners on some songs like a majority of it is Tanzanian Tanzanians who are listening I'm sure I'm not the only artist who gets that so right now maybe back then it was also a problem but we're in a digital era there's a lot of Kenyan youth who love artists so many young artists just blow up in the morning by Jionni they're very big stars so that's again another narrative that I feel we've reined with because Kenyans right now more than ever are supporting Kenyan music Looking at the Nigerian industry most of them of the legends support the upcoming artists they make sure their music distribution is good and we actually get to know them Do you feel the legends in our country have been in a position to do the same and can you actually single out one of them? What I can say is I don't know what a legend is but what I can say is I think music we go in generations so the generation before us we're still fighting for opportunities to me I feel like that's so absurd I feel like there's a certain maybe comforts not even as Kenyan artists maybe as Kenyans in my zone this is just where I'll be operating from so when other people come in there's no space because me have had so many opportunities taken away from me because someone of a different generation knew someone and they booted me out and they said okay now this is what we're doing but I can say for a fact I've had many supportive artists who are much older than me I've had major major is a brother to me Kolo is very supportive calligraph has also guided so many young artists so there's people like that who don't look at or where many competition they're just happy that you exist and you're there and they want to nurture your talent but there's Sam How Sam muneza takakuambia ni ni? How Sam neza takakuambia Sayi pesa ni mingi opportunities ni mingi platforms ni mingi hatu ko eralazma tupe gani e present and you acheze wimbue tu kona streaming platforms I'll just tell them relax you had your chance I'm not saying go forever and ever you can even start a project and push 2-3 artists with your connections at the end of the day you also have to give back that's how you become memorable mitu kama mimi ni taliwone legacya konta semanga so and so did this for me so we don't need to be fighting and tug of wars over opportunities it's not right what's the biggest stage have you been so far? biggest I'd say tasker I've done most if not all tasker gigs I've done man of gigs I've done the knife most of them are just it's all first most of them are just in Kenya so I'm hoping next year or this year I can now spread my wings internationally I feel like it's possible because Spotify is doing their thing so it's international now actually I'm an international artist at this point so why not please tell your fans why they should find your new album and what should they do what should they expect from you as well you can stream my album on all platforms but there's a link on my bio that will just direct you I'm on Spotify, iTunes, Boomplay, AudioMac follow me on Instagram also Mandy that's M-A-A-N-D-Y Gram and on Twitter, Facebook I'm everywhere, TikTok, Mandy so just follow me stream the album tell me which songs you like tell a friend, tell a friend alright Mandy thank you so much for talking to us we appreciate thank you so much for having me alright guys that was Superstar Mandy talking about her new album and of course her being named the Equal Africa Ambassador by Spotify on this month of May make sure to catch her new music make sure to stream that music and make sure to leave a comment on how you find it as well thank you so much for watching Bars with Stars my good name is Miskitinji until next time keep it SPM Bars