As a young girl, Zaituni Wambui heard plenty of music influenced by Arab culture and recitals of the Koran playing in her parents’ household.
These rhythms left a lasting impression on her and three decades later, the singer-songwriter weaves the rich Swahili heritage into contemporary music, a sound which has made her one of the brightest new recording talents in Kenya.
Her debut EP Labour of Love which dropped across streaming platforms on September 2, contains eight powerful songs that recount the pain and pleasure of romantic love from her perspective.
“...what I have put in my relationships has been a labour of love because all I received in return was pain,” she says with laughter. “It is also a labour of love because I have worked on the songs for a long time and overcome a backlash from my parents who were opposed to my music. It has been seven years of sweat and tears.”
She brands her music as urban taarab though the full effect of that label only becomes clear when you appreciate the nuances of the arrangements of her songs, from her delivery to the instrumentation.
The arrangement is so restrained on tracks like Nipende, as keyboardist Noel Grass plays underneath Zaituni’s stunning voice in an impassioned tale of lovers drifting part as their years together wear on. Inakuuma is about the consequences suffered by a partner who strays in a relationship.
“Just as taarab singers express themselves honestly and with pride, I express my emotions in their rawest form through the music,” says the 31-year-old artiste.
“What you are feeling is valid, it is not a mistake. Growing up, I was always the tiny, dark-skinned girl struggling to be heard. Music has given me the freedom to express myself. What is wrong with a bit of anger, or jealousy?” she asks. “These are emotions that God has given us.”
The opening track Sasa Hivi has a catchy chorus about intense longing for a lover while Huyo, her personal favourite on the EP, is an upbeat tune with sweet percussions about a relentless love obsession.
“The rhythm is so African and that connects with my belief in being an unapologetically dark-skinned African. It represents what I didn’t see growing up, which is the authentic African experience,” says Zaituni.
Tamu is a toe-tapping rhythm which as the title suggests celebrates the sweetness of love while in Tick Tock she runs out of patience with a man who is ‘wasting her time’. “That is really not me, but rather my sub-conscious,” she explains.
“A friend of mine jokingly told me not to perform the song because it is a lie.” Ironically, it has become one of her favourites at performances because of the call and response structure of the lyrics that draws in the audience.
In all her songs, Zaituni switches her lyrics effortlessly between English and Swahili which she describes as a natural process. “It is like a conversation with a friend. As you can see even when I talk to you, I shift between the two languages. Melody comes easy to me, so once I have that down then the lyrics just flow,” she explains.
Zaituni formally trained at the Sauti Academy, the artist development programme that has produced many of the country’s top contemporary music artists.
“I literally walked from Kayole to Sauti Academy,” he jokes while recalling the opposition she faced from her parents when she opted to pursue a career in music.
She made the finals on the Tusker Nexters talent show in 2022, an experience that brought her into the spotlight- thanks to her songwriting ability and pure vocals.
In the last few years, she has been involved in top collaborations such as the album Odesby Queens by US based Kenyan producer and composer Waithaka, recorded with Brandy Maina, Nadia Mukami and the duo of We Are Nubia, on the hit song DnD(Do Not Disturb).
“Every project I work on with another artist is an experimentation to see how far I can push the boundaries of my music. The beauty of collaborations is that it could be five or six artists working together, each contributing their ideas to produce art,” says Zaituni.
She credits her musical partner, Steve Anariko who plays acoustic and bass guitar on the album, for arranging the music to suit each lyric. "He listens to my music and wants to know what I am singing about so he can create the suitable music. He doesn’t give me generic beats.”
Singer, songwriter and producer Chris Adwar recorded all the vocals and lent his experience in getting Zaituni to reach new heights with her voice. “He opened my mind to so much that I was not aware of and that really enhanced the quality of my singing.”
Zaituni is among the star-studded lineup of artists performing at this month’s edition of the Blankets and Wine Festival in Nairobi. “This is an affirmation because we have been pushing for excellence, and I was booked when I had only three of my songs released. The lesson is always be yourself, be authentic and the rest will follow.”
