One of the most popular Kenyan songs of all time, "Stellah", remains a favourite of many music lovers, thanks not only to its alluring lyrics, but also its danceable beat.
And interestingly, it’s just this one song that catapulted composer Freshley Mwamburi to national fame and recognition across East Africa.
Of course, it was also helped by the fact that it was sung in the lingua franca of East Africa, Kiswahili.
The evergreen hit remains one of the most favourite Afro-reggae-rumba ballads about love and rejection.
The mellow-voiced Freshley is on record as having confirmed that the song was a real-life lament about losing his fiancée Stellah, whom he had sponsored to study in Japan only for her to return with a Japanese child and accompanied by her "futi-nne Mjapani" husband.
In the song, Freshley, a long-time ally of band leader Abdul Muyonga and the Everest Kings band, recalls how Stellah returned to Kenya on May 17 in a style that shocked him.
“I was shocked that after all I had done for Stellah, selling most of my property to support her, was in vain,” he says.
In the song Freshley also depicts how he was devastated wishing he could vent his frustrations by singing in various languages, ranging from his Taita mother tongue and Luo to Hindi and Kiswahili.
Speaking to the Nation on Monday, Muyonga said the song has been more of an anthem during Everest Kings live shows.
The Everest Kings band is currently based in Machakos, featuring Freshley and Muyonga.
Notably, Stellah is from Kangundo, also in Machakos County.
Freshley, who is from Taita Taveta County, has admitted that he has never forgotten how he sacrificed himself to support Stellah in her further studies.
To many music lovers, the song has gained popularity with people of all ages due to its human interest appeal.
Besides recording with the Everest Kings, Freshley also had stints with the legendary Les Wanyika band that was led by Tanzanian star John Ngereza, among others
“Nilivyo mpenda Stellah jamani kajitolea kwa roho moja,
Nikauza shamba langu, sababu yake yeye,
Nikauza gari langu, sababu yake yeye nikauza ng'ombe na mbuzi sababu yake yeye,
... Ilikua tarehe kumi na saba mwezi wa tano,
Ilikua tarehe kumi na saba mwezi wa tano,
Ndiyo lokua tarehe kamili ya Stellah kurudi Kenya,
Nilikwenda uwanja wa ndege kwenda kumlaki Stellah,
