A great start for Vqee…

June 9, 2010 – Still not believing how successful her album –Halua- launch was a few Friday’s ago Vqee is happy she finally stopped flirting with music.

Dressed in a simple girly dress, sandals and carrying a huge bag (she is from rehearsals), Vqee’s smile exudes glee as she meets me for the interview that is to be largely about her album launch.

She cannot wait to share with me about her new passion that is music.

Born Victoria Wanjiku and raised in Kenya for most of her life, (she now lives in Denmark), Vqee has always loved the arts and music has always played a part in everything she’s been involved in. She had always flirted with music and didn’t know that one day she would be this passionate about her own music. Theatre had been more of her thing but even in theatre there are musicals which she took part in and hence the occasional bumping into music.

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Well, Vqee launched her album Halua to fans that could not help but get knocked off their seats by her performance at the launch a couple of Friday’s ago at the Alliance Francaise auditorium. “The experience was just so amazing, the crowd fantastic, and my parents were there for moral support” she shares excitedly.

Noticing how I couldn’t wait to hear more about her album she finally gets to it. “I will need to first tell you about where the name halua comes from. Halua is a dessert that is a favourite with the Swahili. It goes through a very long process before it becomes the delicious dessert that people enjoy. It is cooked for over 5 hours on a low fire and so many ingredients go into it. The final result is a sweet jelly like substance that is so delicious.”

With that start I cannot wait for her to continue.

“My 15 track album Halua, took my Danish producer and I three years to put together. It has quite a variety of beats to choose from…from clap beat tunes to folk song tunes… It is a blend of traditional sounds and elements, folk songs and dances mixed with Western elements to create a pop sound.

After three long years, I got this beautiful album that I love so much. In fact I love each and every song that I just had to launch it here when it was finally done.”

I had read about the dessert before even tasting or seeing it and when my album was finally done I decided Halua would be its title.”
The title fits perfectly too I have to agree.

Vqee launched her album in Kenya because the Kenyan crowd would be familiar with her sound. “This to me would help carry my energies forward besides loving the motherland and what it has to offer. I wasn’t going to have it any other way” she explains.

Her music has different influences from Africa and mostly from Kenya. Pop music with various Kenyan sounds. This combines beautifully to bring out what she calls Afro Pop.

The album has songs like Wachilia, Tamati, Makao featuring Wawesh, Ukai…. among others and she looses herself in the the moment of performing each of her song.

“I am still evolving in my music and the next album I do could be absolutely different” she says. This in other words, simply means that this is just the beginning of her music career.

The launch gave her psyche to want to do music even more and you will be seeing and hearing from her a whole lot she promises.

“After that successful album launch my next project is to do a tour for the album” She concludes.

A statement that clearly shows she is flirting with music no more and she now knows that
music and her are meant to be.

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Fun Facts about Vqee

Full name: Victoria Wanjiku Seest

Relationship status: Married

Word that best describes her: Passionate

She loves: The arts, music, dance, poetry, theatre, movies

Fave food: Creamed, roasted, grilled…Potatoes! It is the staple food in Denmark

No.1 dream in life: to reach as many people as possible through her music

Fave actor: Sean Penn

Fave actress: Mo’nique in Precious

Fave musician: Kenny Rogers, Anita Baker among others

Looks up to: Susanna Owiyo (She loves her African sound) She can speak full Danish

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