Time flies with great content! Renew in to keep enjoying all our premium content.
Prime
Steven Kanja brings grief, music and theatre to the stage
Mugambi Ikiara, who plays the heartbroken lover and singer for FRGMNTS II during rehearsal at PPMC, State House Road, Nairobi on August 7, 2026. FRGMNTS II is a showcase which sits somewhere between a live music showcase, theatre and performance art. The music remains its core, but the songs are woven into a larger narrative using spoken-word/narration, acting, stage movement, lighting, set design and visual symbolism.
When performing musician, composer and keyboardist Steven Kanja attended Showman Residency by Nyashinski in April this year, he was struck by how similar the concert's concept resembled what he had put out in February through his FRGMNTS showcase.
Sure, his stage wasn't as grand as Nyashinski's. Neither did he have the over a 100 personnel in the form of acrobats, dancers, choir, fire breathers or skaters. But using narrators and actors to help tell the story behind the songs was something Kanja had conceptualised and brought to life earlier.
