Maia von Lekow

She is the daughter to legendary musician Sal Davis. Born in 1983 in Ridgeways near Kiambu, Kenya. She is of mixed parentage, her father African and her mother, Maggie von Lekow half German and half Italian. She was her mother’s only child. This mixed parentage and her search for a musical identity inspired her 12-track album 'Drift' released in February 2013. A hotelier by training, she has lived and worked in Tanzania, Australia and Europe, at all these stops soaking up something of the country’s musical culture, and which later influenced her own music.

Her music is influenced by Afro, jazz and many other genres. She intends to keep experimenting. 'Drift' was initially set to be recorded at Kassanga Studios, Nairobi, but due to the escalating costs, she had to complete it in her living room with the assistance of a producer friend she had met in Australia, Nicco Berthold.

Earlier she had recorded a compilation self-titled eight-track album with the various artists she had worked with in Kenya and Australia. Ennovator’s Tim Rimbui recorded the track 'Uko Wapi' on that album. Because of the various people involved in this album, she prefers to have 'Drift' as her official debut album because all the songs on it were written by her.

As a student at Peponi School she learnt to play the clarinet. After school she worked to save money to go to Europe, where she busked on the streets for loose change. It is these solo a capella acts for strangers that helped her overcome her fear of the stage.
She later went to Europe to study Hotel Management. It is there that she started playing in bands as she learnt to play the guitar. She has been playing professionally since 2009, occasionally appearing on stage with her father.

She started out playing alongside Kato Change as an acoustic duo, but has since included Danz (bass), Nathan Okite (guitar), Wakake Otieno (percussion), and Amani Baya on drums. Moses Muthungu and Andrew Ngatia usually interchange on the keyboard.
She has performed at The Great Rift Valley Festival, Sauti za Busara, HIFA (Zimbabwe), and Blankets & Wine.