International Women’s Day: Honouring Kenya’s leading ladies of music

Note: This is in no way a definitive compilation and we welcome you, dear reader, to recommend other artists you think are also worthy of recognition.

Suzanna Owiyo

Despite singing mostly in her Dholuo mother tongue, Suzanna Owiyo has attained international acclaim. The 47-year-old has been active in the music scene since the late ‘90s with five albums – Kisumu, Sandore, Wachna, Ngato Gi Mare and Anyango – to her name, all remarkable for their rich traditional sound and arresting vocals. This music-making trailblazer continues to demonstrate why it pays to stay true to your roots.

Queen Jane

The late singer was a towering figure of Kikuyu benga, a household name who transcended Kenya’s multi-tribal society with her spirited performances and lyrics laced with stinging social commentary. Queen Jane, real name Jane Nyambura, started her musical journey in the early 1980s as a back-up vocalist of the famous Kikuyu musician Musaimo before forming her own band, Queenja Les Les. Her hits include ‘Mwendwa KK’, ‘Ndutige Kwiyaba’, ‘Muici Wa Itura’, ‘Muthuri Teenager’ and ‘Arume Ni Nyamu’. She died in 2010 after a long illness.

Sara Mitaru

Sara Mitaru is an Afro-fusion movement ambassador par excellence who believes there is more to music than just fame. The one-time Eric Wainaina back-up vocalist has participated in genre-bending collaborations with the likes of Blinky Bill, Fena and Muthoni Drummer Queen.

Suzanne Gachukia

With more than 30 years in the music business, Suzanna Gachukia’s fire still burns as brightly as ever. At 60, she is the guiding light in Kenya’s creative space.

 Carol Atemi Oyungu

The singer shot to prominence as a member of the girl group Intu that ruled the airwaves for the better part of the noughties before going solo in 2007. She has worked with some of Kenya's top musicians, including Eric Wanaina, Nikki, Khaligraph Jones and Nameless. Her best-known songs are ‘Bebi Bebi’  and ‘Hatimaye’.

Nina Ogot

Nina Ogot is Kenya’s leading live performer highly celebrated for her adept combination of traditional and modern musical styles. The singer’s compositions pay homage to her rich Luo tradition.

Achieng Abura

Before her tragic death in 2016, Achieng Abura was one of Kenya’s well-known music personalities well steeped in Afro-jazz, Afro-fusion and gospel. She released her first album in 1990 and would later lend her voice to the Kenyan cartoon musical Tinga Tinga Tales. She won a Kora Award in 2004.

 Princess Jully

With more than 15 albums under her belt, Princess Jully is without a doubt Kenya’s benga queen. The singer’s hit ‘Dunia Mbaya’ became the unofficial anti-Aids campaign anthem. Princess Jully has also collaborated with fellow musical heavyweights Suzzana Owiyo, Achieng Abura and Mercy Myra, performing as Divas of the Nile.

Maia von Lekow

Sometimes it helps that music is in your genes, but without putting in the work, your abilities will remain just that. Mai von Lekow may be the daughter of legendary Kenyan jazz musician Sal Davis but has had to work twice as hard to make her name in the Afro-jazz space. Her experiences in Tanzania, Australia and Europe, where she has lived, continue to shape her musical identity.

Muthoni Drummer Queen

She is a force of nature; a singer and music entrepreneur who has dared tread where few have the mental wherewithal to. Her attention-grabbing stage costumes are not all there is to Muthoni Drummer Queen whose rendering of the spoken art form will blow your mind.

STL

This list won’t be complete without this lyrical acrobat. As a pioneering female rapper in the country, few can hold the candle to Stella Mwangi, aka STL. STL’s international success is yet again a testament to the fact local material is gold. Listen to her rapid bars and you won't fail to recognise the ‘Kenyanese’ flowing through them.

Iddi Achieng

Iddi Achieng is a multi-talented artist who effortlessly operates between the theatrical and musical stages. She has performed at the Sauti za Busara festival in Zanzibar and appeared in a number of stage and local TV productions.

Labdi

Only the dyed-in-in-wool world music fans know her, which is a shame really as Labdi is a true musical genius. This pocket rocket has everything! A commanding stage presence. Authenticity. But above all, the militancy lacking in much of our art today. 

 Lisa Oduor-Noah

This rarely talked about singer and songwriter no doubt bosses the local R&B space. Her music, a combination of poetry delivered in the smoothest of voices either in English, Swahili or her native Dholou tongue to a lone acoustic guitar, will set your soul on fire.

Njoki Karu

Njoki Karu's soulful renditions of popular gospel tunes continue to set her apart, but equally sensational are her original compositions. 

Kasiva Mutua

The drum is a musical instrument with great power and presence that gives a pulse or backbone to the music it accompanies. Traditionally in Africa, a woman playing the drum was not the norm, it was considered taboo – but Kasiva Mutua has defied all odds to become one of the best female drummers in Kenya.

Christine Kamau

Christine Kamau is Kenya's top female jazz artist and a campaigner for music as a tool for propagating unity.

Akoth Jumadi

Akoth Jumadi’s fidelity to her culture and music that pays homage to her ancestry is worthy of praise.

Mayonde

She is a natural-born performer with unmatched powerful and smooth vocals. Some of her top songs are ‘Isikuti Love’, ‘Nairobi’ and ‘Rise’.