Tag: Sofiya Nzau news

In an interview with Kikuyu YouTuber Jeff Kuria, Sofiya Nzau shared insights about her journey, inspirations, and challenges.

Born as Sophia Wanjiku Maina in Githumo, Murang’a County, Sofiya attributes her passion for music to her African roots and her lifelong dream of becoming a singer. She began her career between 2021 and 2022, writing songs alongside her husband, Nzau. Together, they sold their music on various online platforms, which proved successful.

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Sofiya Nzau, the singer known for ‘Mwaki,’ has criticized the government regarding the shelter crisis in Mathare.

“We realized that producers and DJs preferred my Kikuyu singing over English, so we shifted focus to AfroHouse and studied the genre,” she explained.

Sofiya described AfroHouse as an accessible genre, akin to freestyling, which made it easier for them to produce samples. They uploaded these samples on music apps, where interested buyers could assess them before purchasing full versions.

The couple later ventured into creating vocal packs—background vocals for English songs. Sofiya initially made 200 vocal packs, then increased to 600. One of these was sampled by Zerb to create Mwaki. “Producers, songwriters—anyone—can access these vocals,” she added.

Her first set of vocal packs earned $700, though the journey involved trial and error, learning about royalties, and persistence. Surprisingly, Sofiya wasn’t initially aware of Mwaki’s success. “I’m not very active on social media, so when people sent me TikTok videos, I ignored them,” she admitted.

Eventually, Zerb reached out, leading to an online meeting, followed by a December visit to Kenya, where they shot a music video and performed at the Coast.

Addressing the financial aspect, Sofiya clarified, “The song belongs to Zerb as the producer. I’m a featured artist, so I earn a percentage, but many others also get their share.”

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Sofiya Nzau addresses revenue split from her mega hit song “Mwaki”

She highlighted challenges in the entertainment industry, particularly visa rejections. “It’s hard to get a visa. Even with confirmed gigs, they don’t recognize you as an artist, leading to missed opportunities.”

Despite these hurdles, Sofiya expressed gratitude for Kenyan fans. Their support ensured she received royalties from Mwaki. “Selling vocal packs usually doesn’t guarantee royalties, but the online buzz helped me.”

Sofiya also revealed exciting collaborations, including projects with Nigerian singer Fireboy DML and South African artist Nomcebo of Jerusalema fame. “There’s much more music on the way,” she shared enthusiastically.

‘Mwaki’ singer Sofiya Nzau has joined advocacy efforts as Nairobi grapples with the mass displacement caused by recent heavy flooding.

Commenting on the situation in Mathare, Nzau criticized the government for its insufficient support in resettling residents who were forced to evacuate at the beginning of May.

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Sofiya Nzau addresses revenue split from her mega hit song “Mwaki”

During a recent visit to Mathare, the ‘Mwanake’ singer found the situation worse than she anticipated.

“We discovered that the situation in Mathare is really dire. Many families have lost their homes and loved ones to the floods. Some are separated, with wives living in churches and husbands in mosques,” she said in a video posted on Wednesday. “The people of Mathare need shelter, but the government is not helping. Affordable houses are available, but they are not being provided to the displaced residents.”

Nzau, in collaboration with the Mathare Social Justice Centre, is raising funds to construct temporary shelters to alleviate overcrowding in the few available living spaces for displaced persons.

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“We need to build something for them to sleep in while they figure out their lives, as many have lost their jobs,” she appealed.

In his Labour Day speech on May 1, 2024, President Ruto announced that the National Housing Fund would prioritize building homes for those displaced from riparian lands and low-cost housing projects due to the April/May flooding crisis. On May 3, 2024, he ordered the Ministry of Interior to ensure the evacuation and relocation of those displaced.

CS Kithure Kindiki confirmed in a May 4, 2024 notice that the government had set up 138 camps in 18 counties to accommodate 62,061 individuals from 14,771 households. By May 6, 2024, 181,000 people from 40,000 households living in Nairobi riparian reserves had been permanently vacated. CS Kindiki noted that by May 31, 2024, all 40,000 households would receive a one-off Sh10,000 eviction stipend for their relocation.

The gifted Kenyan artist Sofiya Nzau, who wrote the hit Kikuyu song “Mwaki,” has responded to the recent uproar over her vocals being underappreciated on the number-one hit song.
After Brazilian producer Zerb was given credit instead, the musician responded to a lot of fan inquiries by giving her version of events.
On her Instagram page, Sofiya Nzau disclosed that she has been busy producing vocal packs and disseminating them so that producers all over the world can access and utilize them for their projects.
It turns out that one of these platforms provided the vocals for the song “Mwaki.”

Over the last few years, I’ve been doing vocal packs and placing them on various websites where artists and songwriters get exposure and also get to pay their bills. So that’s where the amazing producer who did the song, Mwaki, got the vocals from, made the beat for the song, and made a hit,”

Sofiya defended Zerb on social media despite the controversy over the song credits, pointing out that producers usually aren’t obligated to give credit to vocalists when employing such approachable vocal packs.
She explained that Zerb produced the amazing track by using the vocals from one of those platforms, which was a legitimate use of them.

“Normally, the producers are not expected to credit the vocalists since the vocals are accessible to many. So Zerb rightfully used the vocals from one of those platforms and made the song,”

Sofiya conveyed her appreciation to Zerb and his group for making sure she gained financially from “Mwaki’s” popularity. “We have an agreement to make sure I benefit financially from the song and its success, which I’m truly grateful to Zerb and his team,” the performer said in acknowledgment of their arrangement.