The Capital Lifestyle artist of the week is Channel O award winner Keko, from Uganda. The female rapper is relatively fresh on the airwaves, but her talent and natural spunk have made her stand out. Since she is young and energetic and has her whole future ahead of her…
1. In a nutshell, who is Keko? KEKO is a free spirit, outgoing rapper from Uganda that enjoys and loves what she does.
2. I grew up listening to/watching… I grew up watching Pingu, Tin Tin and Inspector Derrick, and grew up listening to Lauryn Hill, Afrigo and Michael Jackson.
3. I have had a passion for music since…from as far back as I can remember it has always been my childhood dream, aside from the fact that I want to be a movie director as well.
4. I get my inspiration from… sounds, nature, what I see, hear and experience. It’s safe to say I draw my inspiration from life in general.
5. Apart from singing I can also… do graphics design, video editing and animation. I like artsy stuff.
6. I can never leave the house without my… shades and lipstick.
7. My number one role model is… Oprah Winfrey! She is living proof to a theory I believe in and it is ”looks are not everything”.
8. I am currently working on… my Debut album ” THE SOUNDTRACK”. It should be in stores in early 2012.
9. My best time growing up was… Sunday school choir and ice cream treats after church, best time of the week.
10. Video games, vacations, music, film… are some of my favourite things.
11. My advice to upcoming artistes is… stay focused, listen to advice, believe and work extra hard.
Keko won the award for Most Gifted East African Video in this year’s Channel O Music Video Awards, held in Johannesburg, South Africa in November. Her work in a remix of How We Do It featuring Radio and Weasle was what won the votes in the region.
A grateful Keko said the victory was a collective effort from everyone she met along the way, from her fans to her managers and her back up singers.
“It feels good to win. It’s a step in the right direction; it’s very humbling as well. It tells me the music I am making is what Africa likes to listen to. It’s very intriguing though. I wanna thank all my KEKONIANS in Kenya. Much love! I hope to come down and play for you soon!”