There are few ways that can be more satisfying than returning to your country of birth after years of living in different parts of the world, and recording a song symbolising the warm hospitality among the diverse cultures of your homeland.
“This track is me stepping into who I am,” says singer-songwriter Shayoon, about her new single Jambo, a collaboration with British-Punjabi artiste H Dhami. “Kenya raised me, music is my voice, and this one is for the world.”
This is the debut single by the 39-year-old who was born in Nairobi, left the country with her family at the age of six, moved first to London and then Los Angeles, Ibiza, Bali, Dubai, before returning back to Kenya a year ago.
“This is about a Punjabi girl from Kenya returning back home,” she remarks about the song whose video is officially released today.
H Dhami wrote the original song from his experiences of performing in Kenya several times over the years. “Jambo is a word you hear daily,” he says. “It is more than a greeting; it is an energy of welcome and togetherness. In such a beautiful country with such amazing people, it just felt right to create something that celebrates that spirit.”
Shayoon added her verse which is an interpolation of the classic Jambo Bwana by Them Mushrooms. “Fortuitously, we received the clearance to use the verse from the composer, Teddy Kalanda, just a few days before he died in September 2024,” she says.
The song is also an affirmation of Kenya’s multiculturalism after people of Asian descent, were officially recognised as the 44th tribe of the country in 2017. “It is really cool because people always ask me “where are you from?” and I respond, “I am from Kenya” and they say “No, you are not, you don’t look like it.”
“The reality is I am African, before I am Indian, so this is a very big passion project for me, coming full circle, living all over the world and now moving back to Africa,” she says.
While Dhami delivers his trademark high-energy Punjabi lyrics, Shayoon adds a sweet rhythmic flow on the chorus and her verse in a mix of English and Kiswahili.
“When I first moved back to Nairobi, I was having dinner at a restaurant in Lavington and a band called Babaz was playing live music. I was like ‘they are so cool’ so I recruited one of their members, Dennis Baraza, to become my vocal coach. I hit him up while I was in Amsterdam last year and told him I was doing a song with H Dhami and “you have to help me write some amazing Swahili lyrics.”
“Everybody is like, even if I don’t know them and they hear it, they say ‘yo! This is going to bring a lot of happiness.’”
“It is an honour to have done this track with H who is a really beautiful artiste, his dad is respected in the Punjabi-Indian music scene,” she says (Palvinder Dhami was lead singer of 80s Bhangra group, Heera). “We have good chemistry; we have the same mentality when it comes to giving back.”
Kenyan-born singer Shayoon (left) and British Bhangra artiste H Dhami, collaborators on the single Jambo officially released on August 22, 2025.
Photo credit: Pool
Dhami agrees that once the introduction between the two artistes was made, the connection was instant. “From recording to filming, the vibe was so natural. The chemistry between us shines through in the music and visuals, and I am excited to feel that.”
Shayoon personally selected the dancers for the video by searching for the biggest Kenyan TikTokers, Nairobi’s Street Dancers, children from Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), Kibera, Nairobi and dancer/choreographer Chiluba Wandera.
“I was like, I want everyone in this production to be from here (Kenya), even the hair stylists, and make-up artists,” states Shayoon. “The families of the young dancers were paid because I wanted them to know that the opportunity for work with your talent is possible.”
The video shoot was a frantic two-day schedule at the end of June, filming at SHOFCO Kibera, KICC Rooftop (the venue of her parent’s first ever date), Matteo’s, Karen, and Nairobi Railway Station.
“Whether you are Indian or African, women don’t have the opportunity to use their voice and be who they really are, so I want to show everybody that what matters is your message and intention to create hope for humanity through bringing people and cultures together,” she declares.
Shayoon who studied dance and theatre in Los Angeles, has just entered the Guinness World Record as part of a group of women representing all the countries recognised by the United Nations, in a single song.
She recorded the Kiswahili lyrics in the tune 195, a reference to the number of singers in the project, the most nationalities to ever contribute vocals to a musical recording.
Two years ago, she recorded a track with international star Wyclef Jean in New York, which is scheduled to drop on his next album. “I want to be the most authentic artiste, who practices what she preaches and hopefully be an inspiration to young people,” she concludes.
