Eric Wainaina-Always aiming higher

Eric Wainaina wanted to become a doctor, but his love for music overtook his childhood dream. Eric first stepped into the world of commercial music with the group Five Alive in 1992.In 1995 Five Alive released their first CD and toured Europe. When the group disbanded in 1997, Eric went on to join the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston-USA, where he majored in Songwriting and Record Engineering.

During his years at Berklee, where his degree equipped him fully in the area of writing, arranging and production, Eric worked to produce a sound that would be distinctively Kenyan, both in the musically and lyrically. Making sure that he released a new track every time he returned home for vacation, Eric Wainaina was always assured of a place on Kenya’s music charts. The sound he created is a blend of Kenyan Benga rhythm and East African guitars, with some modern harmony. He describes Berklee as a musically charged atmosphere which challenged him to invest in his ‘Kenyaness’. His notable releases include Kenya Only and Nchi ya Kitu Kidogo,( popular for its anti-corruption message) off his first CD Sawa Sawa released in 2001. After graduating from Berklee, Eric returned home in 2002.

Eric’s music continues to receive considerable international appeal. In addition to his 2001 KORA Award for Best East African Artist, he was further nominated for the Artist of the Decade Award in 2005, alongside African greats such as Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela and Youssou N’Dour. He has been acclaimed for his outstanding skill and dynamism as a live performer in both his tours and festival performances. He has toured Switzerland for four consecutive years and has performed at Holland’s Festival Mundial (2003) as well as Harare’s International Festival of the Arts (2003) receiving outstanding reviews for both performances.

In 2004 Eric Wainaina made another milestone on the Kenyan music scene when he premiered a 21- song musical theatre piece “Lwanda, Man of Stone”, 19 of which he wrote, based on a local folk story. He successfully married traditional instruments and styles of the Luo people of Western Kenya with contemporary urban Kenyan sound. In 2006, Eric wrote the musical score for a documentary based on the New York Times best-selling children’s book, ‘Owen & Mzee’, which is based on the true story of an unusual friendship between a young hippo, Owen, who was swept away from his family during the 2003 Tsunami and marooned on the Kenyan Coast, and a centenarian tortoise, Mzee, who lives at Bamburi’s Haller Park.

Eric released his second album Twende Twende in 2007. The album title track is a duet with Zimbabwean legend Oliver Mtukudzi, and it features other notable guest artists such as Kanji Mbugua and MC Kah of Ukoo Fulani Mau Mau. It aptly reflects Eric’s growing maturity as an artist, and promises to live up to and even exceed the high standards set by his previous work.In a bid to make his live performances available to his fans on a regular basis, Eric began playing a weekly show in July 2007. The shows which are held every Sunday at Nairobi’s Club Afrique, have grown steadily and are an opportunity for Eric to meet and interact with his fans and provides a guaranteed venue where people are sure to find him each Sunday.In the same year, Eric received four Kisima (Kenyan awards) nominations and won the awards for the best Afro-fusion artist, best song and best video.

In light of the 2007 General Elections, Wainaina with Rainmaker Ltd spearheaded Umoja Pamoja. This was an initiative that aimed to get the Kenyan youth vote peacefully and responsibly. The culminating event of the entire program saw over 5,000 people make history by gathering at the KICC grounds on November 24th 2007 and form a human-chain around Parliament Building in a demonstration of unity and purpose. Suzanna Owiyo, Atemi Oyungu, Karen ‘Kaz’ Lucas, Dan ‘Chizi’ Aceda, Neema, Sara Mitaru, Nyota Ndogo and a host of other committed Kenyan artists ran the program alongside Eric.

In May 2008, Eric performed at the 2008 Africa Day Celebrations in Johannesburg South Africa. This he did at a time when South Africa was experiencing a period of xenophobic attacks against foreigners. Once again the masses turned to Eric as a source of inspiration for the people at a period of uncertainty. Eric performed along side South Africa’s Lady Smith Black Mambazo, Chiwonyiso and other African greats. During this trip, Eric was hosted on several television stations including SABC which is the largest broadcaster in Africa.

In November 2008, Eric released Daima, a DVD compilation of his music videos.

Article extracted from Eric Wainaina’s website www.ericwainaina.net. This is an edited version

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