 Isi Osanjo a singer-songwriter who started at the age of 7, believe it or not. Welcome to the E-Circuit. Thank you. He started at the age 7 after hearing Michael Jackson's Heal the World. Ya. That's interesting. So MJ is like your goal now. No, not really. I think the song inspired me. I was like, I like this song. Then I just wrote something similar. Ya, okay fine. Actually think I can sing. Nice, nice. So do you remember that particular song that you wrote at age 7? Actually do. It's trauma a little bit. No. I think I rather not ready for that one. So how has your musical journey been ever since then after writing your first song? I think it's very similar to Wajinkes. 7 wrote my first song. Then joined the school choir. Then joined the school choir again in high school. Then uni I joined a collective of artists. Ya, they were called Spoken Heart. Ya, so every Thursday we'll meet. There'll be spoken word, there'll be music, painting, photography. It was just fun. Ya. Then I think a friend of mine, we were having a discussion. This was in 2013 about music. Then I realized I actually like music. So they decided to just dive in and see what the industry is about. Ya. So this friend, this collective that you started in uni. Ya, we didn't started, I just joined. You just joined. Ya. What were you doing exactly? Was it like a poetry after lunch? Ya, something like that. Ya, something like that. Ya, it's just people meeting once a week on Thursday. Like from 7 onwards just to chill. And enjoy poetry and music. Exactly, ya. So it's more of a mix and not like just plain poetry. Not music, no. Have you ever doubled in poetry? Because a songwriter is a poet. Well, I think, ya. Let me say, ya actually I did try writing poetry. Then I was like, doesn't do it for me. So I just stopped. Ya. So what inspires you music? What inspires me music? I'll be cliche. Life experiences. Life experiences. Ya, and also maybe sometimes a tune will just get into your mind. And it will be like, let me write to this. Then it will be like, oh fine. I find the words from Hapa Hapa. Bring it together and you have a song. Ya. So if you were to describe your type of music, how would you describe it? I don't have a description yet. Ya. It's still experimental? Ya, I think because like I'm listening to a lot of songs. And I'm trying to play with my sound. And it's just seen like a genre. Like I can box myself in. But the obvious one would be just maybe Afropop. Afropop. Ya, that's what everybody just say. Ah, I hope Afropop. See, negishan kiswaili. Afropop. Ya. But when I listened to Amobi, Amobi recorded it in 2016. 2016, February. What genre would you call that? That was rock. That was rock. Ya. Okay. So in 2019 we were talking earlier. You're telling me there's a lot in store obviously. Is there an album? Ya. What would you put inside that album? Well, I think only the Lord knows. What's in store for 2019? That's for now. Ya, actually I thought that ya was like, I wanna do all this stuff. Then I'm just like, whatever happens, happens. Ya. If I may ask, what attracts you to the music industry? What attracts me to the music industry? I think, okay, like, in 2017, September, and what's consistent with all of the creatives interacted with was that you'll find that we create, we perform, and then when you find yourself not doing that, you can't wash or to just be like, man. So you just want to be in a space where you're able to create? Basically that's it, just an outlet, because you'll find that, like you want to gig for a month and to wash or you'll just be like, man, this sucks, ya know. And I've tried like, go incorporate, like just a job and stuff like that. You didn't work out for you? No, because I ended up singing badukwa phone calls and then we'll be like, you're singing sags and like, you need to come to the manager's office and just be like, ya know. This is where I'm at now. We're kubali too, ya know. So you've decided it's music, plain and simple? Skerily enough, ya know. Skerily enough? Ya, it's very scary. Why do you say that? What scares you about the industry? They're not knowing, ya know. Like there's no path, no for instance, if you're doing like CPA like CPA 1, CPA 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, how many K? No. But then basically uta maliza I'll be like, I'll find a job, then I'll do masters. Ya know, you know the way forward but with music, literally, maybe you'll even be in the loo in a club as well. So I'll be like, you sound nice, I'll sign you or maybe you'll take 50 years before someone even knows about you, ya know. Before you blow up. Ya, that's the scary part now, just like not knowing and then like, there's Instagram, there's your friends are like taking the steps that are defined and they will badukapu I have a dream, ya know. So it's that not knowing and the business side of it is also very scary. It's like a lot, ya know, let's keep saying it's like a lot, ya know, no one tells you this stuff. Like, lasimoji for India 2, I would say. Ya, I think we always have this conversation on the e-circuit when we say like our older brothers and sisters, when I say that, I'm talking about the more established musicians, they rarely go to someone who's appraising like yourself and say, take these strouts to this, to this. Ya, exactly. Kwa taku blutik, trust me, I've tried. It's like, what? Do you think it works? And I think also it's like, also kwa janiya self-discovery like these things you have to find out on your own. I think. But then, what works I think is like having like structure through and through like, you know, in the states or like abroad work on the labels. So, and these labels have actually worked for hundreds of years so they allow us beyond say that I know I'm too or not, you know that someone is going to be discovered and signed a data hit after a few years of effort, you know. But Kenya we don't have that. We don't have those platforms or. That's the people are trying when I'm trying to go to the jungle like so generation have a label there's bitandoati, there's all these people work on the labels. I'm just hoping they go to the jungle to figure maybe like what can I do when I'm doing building those structures, you know. When you say this music industry is still, you know in the experimental stages, what do you mean by that? People are trying to here's to detail structure but I think we're still trying to find what works. So, what do you think about this genre because I think we always have this conversation as well. You said it earlier as well, Afropop. It's dominant in East Africa right now. It's like a banga banga banga banga. No one is doing soulful music, croc music. People are doing it. But where are they? That's the thing. I think because if you tell me if you want a jazz artist they know several if you want like rock artists like 20 more days. So, people don't know about them or their music. No play kei. I think they are play kei. Because if you ask me content wise we have tons of contents. Wah, well like go underground. We have tons of contents. Everything. Any Kenyan artist we have like if you want an equivalent of like now ama like elamai kenya yuko trust me like people are good out here but I think we just don't they don't see the light of day. But they're just as cared as you are. Of course because they're still wengina kuna office jobs and stuff like that because they just They're uncertain to your visual. What can we do though? I really don't know. Yeah? To say I'm a DJ. To say I must do who. Because I don't think that's it. Because yeah people normally say that the secret source is getting to know some DJs or media personalities but I don't think that's the case. For real because that's what I think is the case. Okay, for me say maybe if you talk to DJs nicely. DJ? Let me ask you a question. This is a very sensitive topic. I know it's like kuna liyazu nyingi. So that's I'm telling you there's no like. Wait, who could talk to him on DJs? What's going on? Why are underground artists the ones who are real content not just buying is why are they not being played? Because they haven't given each to us. For real. How would we know if they don't give us? That's true. And then some are not on YouTube. Yeah. Some are not on YouTube. Some are on SoundCloud. Just go to SoundCloud. But SoundCloud has tons of music. How would you know? But how do you know? Yeah. Then I guess what we can say is the education part. People becoming educated as artists and how to you know put the music out there. And not necessarily having to pay someone or get to know someone intimately to get the music played. But with you you want a different direction with the music as well. Like you want to write our children's songs? Me. Okay. I'm also a little happy. Okay. 2018 I was like I'm going to pursue anything and everything creative. So one day I was just like let me write children's stories. Then I came up with this character called Kats. Actually it was Sulwe. Then I found out this was in IG 2019 January. Lupita was going to do a storybook for kids. The character was going to be called Sulwe. I was like no amount of SEO will save me. If I picked Sulwe then I'm sorry to change it to Kats. So it's basically a 10-year-old and her dog who's gone various stories. So the 10-year-old goes on various planets discovering things and she's dark skin and she has dreads. Give us just one song though. What? Will you guys play a love song? Will you listen to the adventures of Kats? She's singing children's songs. I do? You sing? Yes. So you should go and sing baby shark do-do-do-do. No. I can't say baby shark anymore. Baby shark did it? I can't say baby shark anymore. I know. I'll say baby shark. Give us some cards. Let's say baby shark. Baby shark do-do-do-do-do. Chazachini. Baby shark do-do-do-do-do. Baby shark do-do-do-do-do. Okay, fine. What's the need for this DJ? We need a mute person. Mute. I must say, kunae ini the sleeping game. So basically after all I cook on you ma, we just go like this. If you do that and so we're sleeping. Let's run. Then let's eat. Maybe let's use a phone. So don't forget the action. So it's basically a sleep. Okay, this is A. The sleeping. The sleeping. The sleeping on a bed. We're running. Running. Running in the field. We're talking. We're talking. Talking on the phone. Yeah, but basically like I was reading the stories. The kids love it. People like rate to love it. So I was like, ah, that's a business also. So I'm doing now everything creative. So music and that too. Yeah. Nice, nice. We wish you nothing but the best. Baby shark. Thank you so much for coming and inspiring me as well. She actually just wants baby shark kabisa. Baby shark. Wait, it's a request. Baby shark. I've seen. Baby shark. Okay, let's just get it done. Let's be a baby shark. They actually do the actions also. Yes, let's do that. It's like this. Baby. Baby shark. Baby shark. Baby shark. Dandi. Demiru vajun. Dandi. Okay. Yo. Yeah. Recorded in 2016. Yeah. But the video. This year. This year. And we have so much more. It's not like it's just your own songs and the children's songs coming up. But where can we find you in social media so that we anticipate them? So basically osango everywhere. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter. Yeah, Twitter. That's a dark corner. Anyway, yeah. Yeah, basically. Osango with an underscore. Yeah. Osango with an underscore. So make sure you go and stalk her. She has a lot in store for us in 2019. I want you I want you to do something for us. Okay. We have the guitar there. I want you to play. It's called Osman. Osman? You named him? It's a him. Yeah, him. It's a he. It's a he. It's a he. Hi Osman. Hi. Now I want you to play Osman. Give us an acoustic of our movie. Okay. But our movie name, not actually. I'm gonna be the fire. I can be the heat. Oh. I'm gonna be the flame inside your heart. You can be the water. You can be the quencher. You can be the breeze that tones me down.