Karibu Night blends Kenyan music, fashion at Spotify’s Greasy Tunes programme

Held during Studio 18’s Karibu Night event at Heltz House, the showcase featured performances by Kenyan artists alongside a fashion presentation centred on the official Greasy Tunes jersey and scarf designed by Studio 18.

According to Spotify, the event was inspired by the Made In Kenya playlist, with designers from Studio 18 reinterpreting the merchandise into a series of looks reflecting the sounds, colours and cultural influences associated with contemporary Kenyan music.

The event featured performances by BURUKLYN BOYZ, Sukuma, Afrikun, Solo, Angelo and Coco Kahi, among others.

Spotify said the Made In Kenya playlist reflects the growing popularity of Afropop among young listeners in Kenya. According to the platform, Afropop listening among Kenyan users aged 18 to 24 increased by 21% year-on-year, while 40% of the playlist's audience falls within that age group.

As part of the Greasy Tunes programme, the playlist artwork changes daily to highlight artists connected to each day's activities. BURUKLYN BOYZ featured on the playlist cover during Karibu Night.

“Made In Kenya is not just a playlist, it is a reflection of how Kenyan youth are shaping culture in real time,” Spotify Africa experiential marketing lead Bea Theron said. “For Greasy Tunes, we wanted to take that energy beyond streaming and create moments where music could meet the other creative worlds it naturally lives alongside, including fashion. Karibu Night showed how strongly music, style and youth culture are connected in Nairobi.”

Spotify also said its June 2026 listening data indicates that users aged between 18 and 24 account for 53.7% of all streams in Nairobi, representing the highest proportion of Gen Z listeners among Nairobi, Lagos and Johannesburg.

The fashion showcase was developed using the Greasy Tunes jersey and scarf as the foundation, with Studio 18 designers producing different interpretations inspired by the Made In Kenya playlist.

“The jersey and scarf were designed as pieces that could live beyond a single event,” Studio 18 co-founder Brandon Zamani said. “For Karibu Night, it was exciting to see different designers within Studio 18 take those pieces and reinterpret them through their own creative language. The showcase became a way of showing how Kenyan music can influence fashion, and how fashion can carry the same energy people hear in the Made In Kenya playlist.”

Spotify said Made In Kenya is one of its editorial playlists dedicated to promoting Kenyan music and currently features artists including Coster Ojwang, Ywaya Tajiri, Bridget Blue, SERRO, Lisa Oduor-Noah, Mutoriah, Njerae and Zaituni.

Greasy Tunes is a 12-day programme comprising 20 events organised in partnership with 12 creative communities across Nairobi. The initiative combines music with food, fashion, comedy, podcasts, sport and other cultural activities aimed at showcasing the city's creative industries.