Spotify partners with COLORSxSTUDIOS to showcase Kenyan R&B

As part of the same partnership, Spotify and COLORSxSTUDIOS held a week-long writing camp in Nairobi in the first week of October, bringing together singers, songwriters and producers from Africa and the diaspora. Nairobi R&B fans were treated to a party on 6 October, wrapping up the writing camp and celebrating the genre and its artists.

Afro-R&B is one of the continent’s burgeoning sounds, and in Kenya, specifically, it is a top-five most streamed genre.

First up is singer and songwriter Lisa Oduor-Noah, who performed her single ‘For Keeps’, a song she wrote in 2017. “It’s crazy when some of your wildest dreams, things that you looked at from so far away, actually happen,” she said.

Xenia Manasseh, who is currently on the cover of Spotify’s Tantalizers playlist, takes the stage next with her enchanting vocals and relatable lyrics. On ‘Wild Ride’, a song she wrote in 2022, Xenia transports the listeners on a journey that reflects her personal experiences. The artist, who has written songs for some of the industry’s biggest names, encourages her audience to “keep dreaming and keep following your dreams.”

“This is the first time that any Kenyan artist is performing on A Colors Show and we are honoured to have been able to bring this collaboration to life,” Spotify’s artist and label partnerships manager for East Africa, Monica Kemoli-Savanne, said. “Our mission of elevating African artists to global stages continues, and we cannot wait for audiences all around the world to discover the amazing R&B talent that Kenya has to offer.”

Fans can look forward to more Kenyan R&B performances by visiting the COLORSxSTUDIOS website or following Spotify Africa’s Instagram page.