Touching the Right Chord

The music business is ordinarily a tough industry but the challenges are doubly so for female artists who have to overcome cultural prejudices and professional barriers to establish their careers.

Suzanna Owiyo may be one of the most accomplished artists in Kenya today but it has been a long road since the beginning of her career in the early 2000s.

“It was very lonely at the beginning, some people called me names and said I was pursuing a lost cause but that didn’t stop me from chasing my dream,” says Suzanna.

“Music has been a game changer, taking me from a struggling artist in Kisumu to performing for global icons like Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama and of course, even President Uhuru Kenyatta, who played shakers for me.”

Equal pay

When the Nakuru-born trumpeter Christine Kamau started performing over a decade ago she was struck by the lack of representation of female artists which meant that the young artists had very few mentors.

“It was especially challenging for me because I didn’t look the part,” she says. “People have this image of trumpeters as hefty men with puffed up lips, not a tall slender lady.”

She quickly learnt the value of working hard and self-promotion, and generally not being shy about putting her work out there for public consumption.

The trumpeter and composer who in the early days of her career was a member of Eric Wainaina’s Mapinduzi band cites an example of why the situation can be tough for young female artists. “We used to play at Club Afrique and once the show ended at night, I had to catch a cab home because of my security while the male musician I was playing with could easily jump into public transport.”

So with the support of the Goethe Institute in 2015 Christine started an event called 'Women In Music' to connect female artists across the continent and create professional opportunities for them. Initially, it was a panel discussion for female artists to share their experiences and struggles and has eventually grown to include a performance and jam session.

“The struggles of women artistes are the same across Africa. We have been planning a Women in Music event in Khartoum, Sudan, where it is a big issue for women artistes to even perform in a shopping mall,” says Christine.

The current political upheaval in that country has however disrupted those plans.

Suzanna says the most successful female artists establish their own brand and win the trust and goodwill of audiences and clients. “What I hate most is clients or booking agents comparing my rate with that of other artistes. What I charge can never be the same as what another artiste quotes because these are different brands.

“The concept of equal pay is non existent, so that when a female musician quotes her fee then she has to answer many more questions than a male artist at the same level would have to face,” says Christine.

Push hard

While it’s true that men have historically dominated the music industry worldwide Suzanna says that doesn’t mean that female musicians should just sit back and watch.

“In any case, the majority of male musicians use female singers and instrumentalists. We have to push hard and fight for the same space.”

Christine is however optimistic that the creative industry in Africa has transformed and opened up opportunities for music stars, whether female or male. “The economic value of music has now been understood and a city like Nairobi is vibrant, opportunities have increased and technology is helping artists to break down barriers that have always existed in their path.”

The millennial generation has more access to instruments and so there are many more young girls training to play the violin, guitar. “I always tell the artistes I work with ‘pick an instrument, even if it’s a shaker, and play it while on stage’," says Suzanna.

“The young musicians are so lucky,” adds Suzanna. The industry has grown and the number of platforms also multiplied.” It’s a long way from the days when she walked from one radio station to another to get her music played on air.

Her advice to female artistes is to learn the value of patience?

“There is no overnight success. I have seen quite a number of them pull some moves and end up disappointed. Your voice must have a purpose to change the world for better.”