BREEZY BLOGS

Moses Marite, the former manager of renowned Mugiithi sensation Samuel Muchoki, popularly known as Samidoh, is currently locked in a cell after he was arrested and charged in Sagana. Marite was arrested following allegations that he mishandled security deposits from a popular club in Sagana that had booked Samidoh to perform. According to Linus Marangi, the marketer for Pcash Lounge in Sagana, Samidoh claimed that he had not received the Ksh 100,000 deposit. The arrest followed complaints that Marite while acting as Samidoh's manager, had accepted several advance payments on behalf of the artist without informing him. A source close to Samidoh told Nairobi News that this incident was part of a wider pattern as Marite allegedly received deposits from several clubs without accounting for the funds, leading Samidoh to cut ties with him in September. Marite was formally arraigned at the Baricho Magistrate's Court on 22 October and did not deny the charges against him. He is accus...

It's been ten years since content creator and comedian Timothy 'Njugush' Kimani burst into the limelight. As he celebrates a decade in the entertainment industry, Njugush recalls the early struggles he faced before finally breaking through and making a comfortable living from his craft. He recalls struggling with being famous but broke. "It's a bad thing to be famous and broke. It can go to your head and cause mental damage. I remember being invited for an interview on KTN, I was famous but I could barely afford the Sh50 bus fare and people did not understand how you could be famous and broke. One day someone found me buying paraffin and wondered why I was using kerosene," says Njugush. He recalls how he was unceremoniously fired from a TV show in which he was the lead actor for demanding a Sh2,000 salary increase. Njugush also remembers his first big pay cheque, Sh5,000, which changed his brand and life for the better. He now charges hundreds of thousands, i...

Witty Content Creator Natalie Githinji recently took a brave step by sharing her struggle with endometriosis in a heartfelt radio interview. Endometriosis is a chronic condition characterized by the growth of tissue similar to the lining of the uterus outside the uterus, causing debilitating pain and various other symptoms. In a recent heartfelt radio interview, the former NRG presenter expressed her fears and anxieties about the chronic condition that she has been battling with for several years now. She revealed that she often struggles with the thought of her life being cut short by endometriosis. When the presenter enquired about her worst fears, Natalie didn't hesitate to say; "That I will die? Yes, I am (afraid)". The emotional weight of her words resonated as she reflected on the profound impact of the death of her friend Jahmby Koikai, who also battled endometriosis eventually succumbing to it. "I was scared and I was at work. I feel like I will end up there...

Singer and songwriter  Ian 'Iyanii'  Oure, is making waves in the music industry with his infectious party tracks, including the popular hit 'Pombe'. In an interview with Nairobi News , Iyanii shared why he is drawn to creating songs that resonate with his fans. "I enjoy partying with my friends and seeing them enjoy my music," Iyanii explained. Despite the party-centric themes of some of his songs, he clarified that he is not an alcoholic. "You know, I'm just doing this for fun and I make music to make people happy." The artist is trending with his new party song, Kifo Cha Mende. He said he understands music and its role in different life situations. He compared the experience of listening to music to the occasions we celebrate or mourn. "How would you feel if you went to a club and all they sang were love songs? You couldn't. Every song has its occasion," he noted. Iyanii went on to say, "It's the same when you go to a w...

With plans at an advanced stage for Sol Fest 2024 which is slated to take place in the last week of December, singer Bien-Aime Baraza has revealed more details about the festival including how much money artists who will be performing will earn. Unlike previous editions, this year's Sol Fest, a brainchild of Sauti Sol, will be a two-day festival that will be held from December 19-20. Tickets for the VIP experience will cost Sh20,000 while the general fan show ticket will go for Sh3,000. The Sauti Sol singer says this year's event will be different in many ways. "For many years, I have felt that Kenyan music doesn't get premium production. Let me explain. For example, at the last Sol Fest, we had 40 rehearsals, that's why the production was amazing in terms of stage, sound, lights, and performances. That's why we were able to present Kenyan music to Kenyans in a world-class way. This year we want to do more," says Bien. Last year's Sol Fest was all abo...

Emmanuel Wandera is Kenya's national winner of the sixth edition of BIC's Art Master Africa art competition. The competition took place at the same time in Africa, where BIC, a world leader in the manufacture of writing instruments, lighters, and shavers, has a presence. Wandera was announced as the country's winner for his piece 'Villagers' wading off stiff competition from Joel Juma who came second and James Odhiambo at an awards ceremony held at Noir Gallery in Nairobi last Friday. "Participating in the BIC Art Master Africa competition has been an incredible journey. It's an honor to have my artwork recognized, especially on such a meaningful theme as Ubuntu. I am grateful to BIC for creating such an inspiring platform for African artists and I encourage others to join in and share their creativity with the world," said an excited Wandera. Art Master Africa announced the winners of this year's competition: the top three regional winners (the ...

Renowned Kenyan filmmaker David ‘Tosh’ Gitonga could lose more than Sh1 million as auctioneers have now attached assets in his office to recover a court-ordered award to German Picture Editor Christian Kramer. Last Wednesday, Interfiled Auctioneers stormed Tosh’s Primary Pictures Ltd office in Nairobi and proclaimed assorted assets worth Sh985,884 to recover Kramer’s debts. Mr. Kramer in July, got permission from the Magistrate court to recover Sh678,403 following a protracted dispute over a Netflix project titled ‘Volume’. Tosh lost the case after the magistrate court found him guilty and entered judgment in favor of Mr. Kramer's ordering the Kenya filmmaker to pay the German ShSh678,403. The debt had accrued in interest to Sh778,084, by last week when the auctioneers visited Primary Pictures having been granted warrants by the court. The amount rose to Sh985,884 when the auctioneer's charge fees were factored in. Interfiled Auctioneers served Tosh with the Warrants of Attac...

Filmmaker Abdi Shuria has opened up about his latest project titled 'Black and Blue ' which, unlike his previous films, takes a swipe at Kenyan policemen and their notoriety culture. The series, which is set to premiere next month, is an original police-based mockumentary series that revolves around the Kenyan police and their notoriety way of life in the line of duty. "The idea for Black & Blue came to me as I reflected on my many interactions with the Kenyan police, which in the past have not always been positive. I have always believed that where there is tragedy, there is humor. For me, humor is cathartic - it's like a stress reliever. I asked myself, 'How can I take these negative experiences and inject humor as a tool to explore, discuss, and entertain?' and this is what I came up with." Abdi Shuria says. The series follows an Office Commanding Station (OCS) which, in a bold attempt to rebrand the bad image of the police and appeal to the publi...

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga continues to be a significant figure in Kenya, both as a national hero and an influential personality, according to a new Infotrak poll conducted between September 27 and 28. The survey of 800 adult respondents nationwide was conducted using Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI). It highlights the individuals and groups that Kenyans consider heroes. Raila Odinga emerged as the most recognized hero, with 18% of respondents nationwide identifying him as a key national figure. His strongest support came from his home region of Nyanza, where he garnered 30%, but he also had significant support in the Western (23%) and Coast (22%) regions. This reflects the former Prime Minister's enduring legacy in the fight for democracy and reform. Celebrity athlete Faith Kipyegon followed closely behind Odinga, receiving 11% of national mentions. Her influence was particularly felt in the central and eastern regions, where she was seen as a symbol of pride...

Actress Shix Kapienga is set to star in an upcoming comedy movie  Sketchy Africans . Alongside celebrated actress Nyokabi Macharia, the two will co-star in the new comedy film directed by Vincent Mbaya. Set for release on November 30, 2024, the film promises a fresh, comedic take on the struggles of modern life in Kenya and across Africa. In Sketchy AF!, a desperate entrepreneur, facing pressure from her family and struggling with her business, teams up with a debt-ridden theater director to fake an engagement and stage a fake dowry ceremony to secure much-needed cash. Other cast members include  Bruce Makau (Kina), Morris Mwangi (Faithless),  Duncan Murunyu (Boda Love), Benson Ojuwa (Untying Kantai), Beatrice Kamuyu (Faithless), Gloria Songoro (Selina), and Andrew Levi (Shanga). "This is a universal experience that resonates across Africa, taking a comedic look at the hardships of making it in cutthroat Nairobi during tough economic times while balancing modernity and c...

Controversial media personality, Andrew Kibe has opened up on why at some point in his life he got saved, stating that he went into church to make money, only to go broke. The provocateur admits that he made a lot of money from the church business but still went broke, something that made him lose interest in the ministry thus shifting his focus to the media industry. Kibe, a former radio presenter, says he discovered Christianity in 2009 after a lot of encouragement from his mother and later got saved. "My mother's voice was very strong in my life, that's how I got into the church business because every other day I would be doing something else and she would call and ask if I had been to church and recommend which church I should go to. Eventually, it got to me," Kibe recalls. Kibe recalls. To please his mother, he started going to church, and that's when he met his former church business partner. "I met a guy named Daniel Wabala through Robert Burale, who ...

It was all about money that led to the break-up of the once promising music group Le Band. Made up of three members Fidel Eli Shammah (charisma), Ken Mwendwa (man with the bass) and Joel Maina, Le Band came into the limelight in 2017 with the release of their first hit song Number 1. It is the record that catapulted them to celebrity status and started earning them good money from club gigs and performances. Charisma says once they released the song, hardly a week went by without Le Band getting at least two bookings to perform, in addition to the club appearance gigs they landed mid-week. Due to the high demand, their rate card quickly skyrocketed from Sh100,000 per gig to Sh250,000. Charisma says at the time, everything looked promising for the future of their music career, which had struggled to take off since they officially started making music in 2014 before the Number  1 song came along and changed everything for the better. But as they prepared to take their game to the ...

A few days before the 2002 general elections, then-top hip-hop group Gidi Gidi and Maji Maji received a mouth-watering offer of Sh10 million to support retired President Uhuru Kenyatta, but they turned it down. Gidi Gidi and Maji Maji, then in their early 20s, had just released the smash hit Unbwogable , produced by legendary music producer Tedd Josiah. The song was immediately adopted by the late President Mwai Kibaki's Narc coalition as the official campaign song that swept him into State House after the 24-year rule of his predecessor, the late Daniel Moi. Under immense pressure from the international community and Kenyans, Moi, Kenya's longest-serving president, had announced a year earlier that he would not seek re-election in the 2002 polls. Instead, Moi backed former president Uhuru to run on the ticket of the Kenya African National Union (KANU). KANU would face a formidable front from the Narc coalition, which brought together several parties with the aim of ending its...

In January 2017, just a year after graduating from law school, Afro-pop singer, songwriter, and performer Charisma was forced by his group Le Band to shoot the video for their first hit song 'Number 1'. But Charisma (Fidel Eli Shammah), who wrote the song, was reluctant from the start. Having started making music in 2014 with his friends Ken Mwendwa (Man with the Bass), Joel Maina, and Abel Kiptanui, who had formed Le Band while still at university, none of their previous releases had rocked the airwaves. The Sina Noma singer had given up. "The boys said the budget for the video was Sh120,000, meaning each of us should contribute Sh40,000. I said no. We had done several songs before and none of them had been successful so I didn't understand what made them think 'Number 1' would be any different and to make matters worse the budget was five times more than any other video we had ever done," Charisma opens up. But there was another problem. "We wer...

Rising Kenyan gospel singer Dan Mogore says his recent wins at the gospel ETA Awards, after a seven-year music hiatus, are enough to answer his critics. Mogore recently clinched the Best Artist in Nairobi and Most Promising Male Artist of 2024 at the ETA Awards having won the  Best Gospel Collaboration Single in East Africa at the Africa Arts Entertainment Awards a few weeks before. "When I look at everything I've been through, I can see God's hand guiding me from the beginning. Some people said I couldn't make it, that I had no future in music after taking the long hiatus." he vaunts. For Mogore, these awards are more than just trophies. They're a testament to his unwavering faith, perseverance, and renewed commitment to his craft, which began in 2020 after the hiatus. "I've been working on music consistently since 2020. Before that, there was a long break where I was completely away from music. But in the last few years, I've been focused an...

How often have you wanted to stream your music quietly, without data, to avoid social media notifications interpreting your record as you play it? It must be countless and annoying - right? Even better, airplane or train rides, long road trips, or boat cruises can lead to unwanted dips in WIFI or data internet connection, and in those situations, Spotify has begun rolling out a new feature that would save the day as far as your music streaming habits is concerned. Beginning today, the digital streaming platform says that its premium users will no longer have to suffer in silence when they're offline and have forgotten to download their favorite tracks/playlists beforehand. The DSP has introduced a new feature called Offline Backup , which automatically generates an offline playlist for users based on their listening habits. "With Offline Backup, we're giving users another way to access their music offline without using additional data or storage. We take your queued and r...

'Set it' hitmaker Dyana Cods says her 'bad girl' persona is deliberate and strategic in her quest to become a top artist. Having been a huge fan of famous US rapper Nick Minaj, Dyana Cods says she has realized that a bad girl image is marketable in the showbiz industry. "The good girl image doesn't sell as much as a bad girl image. People want bad girls, look at someone like Nick Minaj and what she has done with her career, yet she has this bad girl image," Dan Cods argues. In just five years, the fast-rising music star has carved out a unique niche, blending influences from Kisumu, where she grew up, and Nairobi to create a sound that's distinctly her own. Her breakout single 'Set It'   has dominated the charts and become a cultural phenomenon, spawning viral TikTok challenges and cementing her status as a force to be reckoned with. Dyana's rise to fame wasn't a solo effort. She credits collaborators hip-hop group Wakadinali for givi...