 Nugasa chi bega Mama iya mama iya E baba kani e pusha e baba Toka nanami tego, mi tego ya kemoho Afrika online vocalist is an online singing competition under the guidance of Helen Utawali Afrika singer and vocalist In our interview today, we speak to two of the contestants who participated in the third season of the competition that kicked off at the beginning of 2020 My name is Mbaire Kamau. Those are not my full names. My full names are Caroline, Nyambura, Mbairengema Kamau But for today I'll just go with Mbaire Kamau. I like to think of myself as a multi-potentialite I have varied interests in life Skills, talents and interests in life Because when you look at what I do at work and what my hobbies are, they are completely different and I enjoy all of them So professionally I work with an organization called Amani Institute We are a training institution for people who want to create social impact So we concentrate on their knowledge, skills and expertise so that they can come out to the world and create social impact Now when it comes to my hobbies, I am an artist or I can sing, dance, act Let's just keep it to the three threads, sing, act and dance And I enjoy all of these and it's something that is inherent in me, something I enjoy deeply And now what leads to what we're going to be talking about today, the Africa online vocalist With singing, I can't say I'm an accomplished singer, I call myself a bathroom singer If there's anything of the sort because people just tell me you have a good voice You actually have a good voice, you can do something about it but I've never embraced that Except for when you called up in church to come and who will lead us in praises? By right we'll do it, that's the match I've done with singing And except in 2016 when a friend called me to help them feature in a song So I did one verse in the chorus and they were like you see you can do it But again because I was trying to still nurture my career My career goal in teaching and development, the world of development I again abandoned the singing because of that It's so sad that we have to make these decisions when it comes to art We don't fully embrace art as the one thing that I'm going to pursue You have to always have a backup plan on the side that will help you sustain Because of the bills and what not But thankfully for me it was not apart from me Like I said in the beginning, I'm a multi potentialite I have varied interests and I have varied passions So they all married And people would tell me I think you're a superwoman Because how are you able to do all this And I'm like I'm not a superwoman, I just love what I do I love when I'm teaching and when I'm actually singing or dancing or acting I love that too So the only time that I've taken my singing seriously was in 2020 Katasi of a competition called Africa Online Vocalists So I was born and raised in a very beautiful, beautiful town In the Savannah lands called Maralal in Samburu District So when I went to primary school in the same area called St. Mary's That's my alma mater And then went to high school in St. Trisa that is located in Samburu West Wamba I don't know if you've heard of those places Yes, yeah So that's where my childhood has been Born there, raised there And then I only came to Nairobi in 2010 Because of looking for opportunities I didn't again know what my varied interests, skills and passions are in life And that's when I was doing my low degree Slowly by slowly I started discovering or going back in time Retrospectively looking at what gave me so much energy when I was young When I was in high school what did I enjoy doing most And I noticed that all of the time I was really gravitating towards the art I loved singing or I would stand on top of the desis And then I would sing dance to everybody the Shakira song or whatever And that was when I was in primary school And I would love acting, I just liked organizing stuff And besides that I also loved teaching I had a passion for teaching whatever it is And especially teaching people things that help them become better versions of themselves And that links very well to what I do currently professionally with Amani Institute Because we train people on having the knowledge, skills and expertise to drive social impact And because I like teaching so much I remember this time in primary school We didn't have that concept of remedial classes in primary schools I only came to know the term in high school But that's what I was doing, I would organize my fellow classmates And I'll tell them today we're going to revise mathematics And we're going to learn and I would transfer the knowledge again from class to them And then going back to high school I did the same thing And now retrospectively started realizing slowly by slowly That I'm really attracted to the world of teaching And the world of art as well The competition provided a platform For the participants to not only showcase their talent But also an opportunity to grow their musical skills Fast forward to August There's a student of mine I taught So I got to exchange contact with her And then after her year she became an alumni She kept on sending me, please vote for me I'm taking part in this competition It became my interest on what's happening And then she mentioned this thing that is being led by Helen Tawali And I'm taking part in it And then I remembered the goal I had made in December 22nd And I was like, yeah, this is one of the opportunities for me To actually do something about my singing So what's the Africa Online Vocalist? Africa Online Vocalist is a training That's how I like to think about it That is mode of delivery is a competition And why it was founded by Helen Tawali Is to identify the authentic African talent Nature it and expose it to the world And how they do this is by bringing together Vocalist through an audition They select them into the program Or into the academy, it's actually an academy And then in the academy Now that's when the competition happens There are series of challenges that the contestants are taken through And all these at the end of the day They have the purpose of nurturing everybody who walks into the academy To embody five elements That is, and this is something that Madam President We call her Madam President Helen Keeps telling us that we don't want you just to be a singer Who can sing well Or a vocalist who can just hold a microphone And then you wow people with your voice We want you to be all round And thus you have to understand the five elements of a performer And those are singing, drama, dance, creativity and writing So throughout the academy there are ways in which All these five elements were brought out of us Sometimes you would be told You're going to do a mind challenge On a song or a topic of your choice And then you sit and wonder What does this have to do with singing But then again when you remember the purpose Of Africa Online Vocalist Is to nurture you to not just be a great singer But to be an all round performer Who can go out there and entertain people Because if you look into And that's why the tagline for Africa Online Vocalist Is authentic African talent If you really go into the roots of an African Whenever there was singing It was not just singing seated down There was dancing involved There was drama, there was a lot of creativity We didn't write but we did the oral narration And that represents great composition And she wanted all of us who go through the program To really come out of the academy With all that in us So that's what the African Online Vocalist is all about Despite the challenges The participants are grateful for the opportunity I took part in Season 3 But it started sometimes in February Initially it was being called Facebook online competition But because of copyright issues You can't call it Facebook something So they changed it in Season 2 To Africa Online Vocalist I knew about it when Season 3 Was beginning through one of my students Who actually became a second runner up In Season 2 Balancing that with a full time job So you had to make some sacrifices Of sleeping at 2am Because you have assignments You have challenges to do And you know you will not be able to do them During the day because you're working Or you're in a meeting Thankfully they would record all the classes So if you miss a class I would sacrifice and watch it in the night And catch up with everything Sometimes I would go through 2,000 messages on WhatsApp Because I have not been online the whole day And it's really taught It taught us very Significant skills that you might disregard For instance the value of patience Patiently scrolling your phone To go through each message Because if you don't go through a message Information will be lost And I can't put that burden On another contestant to tell me Oh I didn't attend the class What went down They're also struggling with the same thing And struggling with they have work Or they have chores We even had contestants that had Toddlers One was just a month old Child and she's still competing So you can imagine all that So it really taught me a lot On how to depend on myself How to be patient How to be intentional about what I want And I can't pinpoint one thing But it is a series of cumulative things That happen that Just made this one of the best experiences While I may have joined us For the name of it And to prove to myself At the end looking in retrospect It's just like the best thing That happened to me in 2020 I'll say this training The academy and the competition So it's slash training Academy competition Gives every contestant An opportunity To really showcase their character If you understand the rules Of group dynamics The forming, numbing Explosion and all that So there's no way in three months That you can hide your true character So if you are driven It's going to show at some point If you are lazy Unfortunately it will show If you are used to depending on people It will again show In the many ways you interact And I'm just so glad that I have had a very good background From my primary school High school The church I go to All these are bringing And these character Of always showing up Being committed, dedicated And authentic in everything that you do And I'm glad I was able To bring all these into the competition And I think the hallmark of all this Was in the finals When I was given the judges award And what that means is The judges were Ian Bogwa, Tabitha Ogango Naima Murundi And Madam Helen Tawali They all felt that I embodied What the competition should have been about That my work ethic Throughout the competition was outstanding And I showed potential with my voice So that was like a culmination Of the very many things That happened in the three months For instance if an assignment Was to be done I would do it before time And I would dedicate myself If it was creativity I would really look what is around me What can I do with it And come up with something magical That would owe people If it was about teamwork Again it's a character Or a value that has been ingrained In me from the multi-cultural experiences I've had And I was able to do it so well Because I noticed that one thing In the competition We needed to have strong teamwork For it to work Especially now after I reframed My mind said that This is more than a competition It's a training So I realised that we have to hold hands With each other And I would I was sort of like The focal point for most people If you would look at my inbox During that time I would be at work They don't know that I have not checked My WhatsApp messages But they would be like Bayre What are we supposed to do In that assignment I would be like hold up I've also not checked What their assignment is all about So I'm so glad The fellow contestants trusted me To the level of We know she knows What's happening She can guide us Or she will help us And she will do it openly And it's just a I'm humbled And I'm taking that with grace That they were able to see That trait in me And actually give me an opportunity To be that for them When every given chance Is used wisely The end results are always good I started singing when I was very young And I just had that heart to just sing Whenever I got an opportunity to sing I would just sing in the house Or in school In primary school As young as I was in class 3 I would just come out In front of people in a hall And just lead people During the Christian Union services That we have in school And I would just lead people And I just loved it When I was in Sunday school The same thing I would just love my teacher Just to live on Come and lead people And I would just come out Like that So there's one day My dad I used to like the way he used to draw So I told him I want a drawing books That I can help him I can just learn about drawing So he bought me that book And I started drawing Then one time I was just sitting And I just had some songs in my mind I just started writing songs In the drawing book So yeah I started writing songs And I was quite young So growing up It's when I realized I just had that desire Of singing since I was very young It was just in me So I started now School has really helped me The schools that I've gone to I've gotten the opportunity To just sing Especially because I've grown up As someone who knows God I've been taught about God I just In Christian Union Services All those things in school I've been given the opportunity Most of the times I'll just be given an opportunity To be the prison worship leader So in high school Yeah I've been doing that Even in college My performance At African online vocalist At first You wouldn't have noticed me Because I was quiet Very reserved I was trying not to I just wanted to be at the Back seat When people are just continuing But in African online vocalist You can't go that way You have to push yourself And go Or you'll miss it So you don't have to lose it Don't lose it I remember them Coach Reginery saying We are together Don't lose it So it's very interesting So yeah So you don't have You have to bring yourself more And see What is inside you Because the moment you just At the back You won't really give out What is required So slowly by slowly I started coming out Coming out So through these challenges We were told Sing a song Send a video That's what I used to do So one time I was told Even here You have a great voice But we want to see more of that We want to see more Of you doing your stuff You just can't Just do it once And then you take a break And then you come once No, you have to do it So I tried my level best to do it So I've won couple of challenges Inside the house Even without even me Expecting to win such challenges And I was so grateful There is a tarab challenge That I won I sang a tarab gospel song There is a dance that I dance I'm not even good at dancing But I got an opportunity to win That challenge And I was so grateful for that So yeah It was very interesting And now this other one The finals I got the opportunity to be The second runner up Which I'm so grateful for Because it wasn't even I wasn't even seeing it To say the truth I was just I knew I could sing Yes, yes But I wasn't so confident To see myself as Among the top three people Who were chosen So for me that Was I was grateful for that Yeah It's just better to go Just deliver out whatever you have inside you Than at the end of it all Dime with what God put inside you You need to bring it out Be grateful for that gift Or that little thing that you have Don't say this is too small For me to do Or this in the world It doesn't seem like it's something great You can make it great Because it's what God has deposited inside you You can make it great And people will realize That this is something great That people can do So just never Never look down on yourself Kulini tesa Oka ni nyanyasa Oka ni fanyasinema E ama gira ni Ma pensi una Horum Kazi ako Kuiba na kuchinja Kazi ako Kuiba na kuchinja Nimem pata bwana wa Kwakeni mewe kanangasito Banduka Nimem pata bwana Kwakeni mewe kanangasito Banduka