Indie Soul: ‘I am on a mission to bring the authentic Kenyan sound’
Indie- Soul aka Njeri Mwengi (Njerae) is a Kenyan artiste whose sound blends Afro-Indie, R&B, and soul.
What you need to know:
- Indie- Soul, is an Afro-Fusion & RnB artiste with rich vocal tones in the Njerae’s music style.
- She is a Kenyan singer, songwriter, and producer based in Nairobi who recently was signed up by one of the world’s leading recording labels, Universal Music Group.
Indie- Soul, is an Afro-Fusion & RnB artiste with rich vocal tones in the Njerae’s music style. She is a Kenyan singer, songwriter, and producer based in Nairobi who recently was signed up by one of the world’s leading recording labels, Universal Music Group. Aki Sioni, OTD is one of her pieces of art that has elevated her name.
I am an alumni of Sauti Academy. It’s where I learned that I have something to offer and how to package this music thing.
My style of music is informed by the need to produce authentic Kenyan sound. I believed we could also have our own thing without copying outsiders and still be cool. I make sure my music shouts Kenyan because that’s who I am.
Growing up I loved Sauti Sol music and Muthoni The Drummer Queen's because I felt they were just different from other Kenyan musicians.
My childhood was fun. I was a tomboy if I wasn’t in the house eating then I was outside playing football.
I come from a family where there is so much musical influence—from my grandparents to my parents. In my parent's house, we would have weekends where they would be blasting music, not rhumba mind you, for my folks it was RnB.
Growing up I never really used to enjoy music but then I found myself writing because I am very introverted and writing music was my way to let off steam and my feelings.
Being a shy person who hates embarrassing myself has made me a perfectionist, especially music.
One of my most rewarding moments was when I was performing and there was this guy who was overcome by emotions and I could see he was tearing up. That moved me. It was satisfying to see that my music was being appreciated in that manner.
I am in a relationship. My relationship has been good. Music is fast-paced and I think balancing that with relationship is a matter of understanding from the get-go.
The majority of my songs were unintentional about one person and that is because there was a time when I had a writer’s block. Up to that point I only knew how to write songs about myself so I shared that with Bensoul and he advised me, to try and write about other people.
