Promising Kenyan Artistes Who Bizarrely Fell Off The Radar

Showbiz is one heck of a dodgy affair. One minute you are atop the world,the next you have faded into oblivion. Uncertainty lurks all over the place when it comes to career longevity,or lack thereof. If the odds are in your favor,you could be one of the few with a career spanning decades,or if you are Redsan or Jua Cali, one with the proverbial nine lives. On the flip side, you could well be  on the bandwagon of those who fall off the radar and disappear albeit as fast as you came. There is quite a handful of once promising Kenyan acts who are  the epitome of this trend.

Sanaipei Tande
Where to start? She is one of Kenya’s most talented vocalists,to say the very  least. The Coca Cola Pop Stars alum was all the rave in her hey day.While her bandmates Pam and Kevin morphed into obscurity,her solo career was exponentially taking off. What with the hit collaborations with the likes of Jua Cali and Big Pin catapulting her to bona fide stardom. Then came the radio stint,and it was clear that Sana was not halting anytime soon. All was well,until the notoriously sporadic releases that ensued. Inasmuch as some of the releases proved chart fixtures,the inconsistency in said releases could be attributed to her now dwindling career. It is hard trying to figure when her last  release was, much less her last hit. It does not help that she is now more  synonymous with being a karaoke host than anything else. Suffice to say hers has been a spiraling ride.

Elani

Remember when Jana Usiku blasted in the stereos of every club you know? When a once little known 3-member band graced the music scene and stormed the charts with hit after hit? Their new,fresh sound rented the  airwaves in 2014-arguably their most successful year- with hits like Koo Koo and Milele. Wambui Ngugi,Maureen Kunga and Brian Chweya were on a roll,almost as if to give Sauti Sol a run for their money. Turns out their fast advent would be short-lived. A bunch of lukewarm singles that went almost unnoticed and an overdelayed album are hallmarks of a dereriorating showbiz run. And as if that is not enough conviction that their chart-topping days are
long gone, both Wambui and Maureen now do YouTube videos about hair.

Bon Eye
He is forever hailed as P Unit’s most laidback guy. While Frasha and Gabu have had quite the vibrant solo careers,Bon Eye has drastically fallen off tangent. His rather discrete nature keeps people guessing his next move. Not much has been heard of him ever since the group stopped making music together. There are reports of him choosing to keep family and other business interests on top of his priority list while letting music take a backseat,but that is as scanty as it
gets.

Mimmo
Think Floss Na Wewe, Kare and Best Friend. All chart staples. The lass was one of the most sought-after for collaborations. Her vocals were instrumental in making P Unit’s smash hit Kare rule the airwaves for weeks on end,and she was put on a pedestal as music’s next big thing. Then she up and left music for good,and no one really knows what she is up to these days. Mimmo,where are you for crying out loud!

Collo
His Kleptomaniax bandmate took over the world with his mega comeback single Now You Know in 2015 and Nyashinski has churned innumerable mega hits since. While Collo’s catalogue is not even the least bit shabby,his music career has not been the same,especially not after the big switch to gospel. Ask anyone what Collo’s last project was and you will probably be in for head scratches and eye rolls. The self-proclaimed King Wa Rap’s career could we be headed for the drains,if such is anything to go by.

Amani
Another mega star whose switch to gospel music saw her once envied career hit a stumbling block is Amani. She is indisputably one of Kenya’s most legendary female musicians with a string of hits under her belt,and a chunk of accolades to boot. In 2009,she snagged the coveted Best Female (Africa) accolade at the MTV MAMAs;the only other Kenyan female artiste to win the prestigious award after Wahu’s maiden win the previous year. She was also one of the African artistes featured in R Kelly’s One 8 project,alongside Tanzania’s Ali Kiba and Uganda’s Navio. If that does not scream success,nothing else does! After being on what could be deemed a hiatus, Amani came back with the announcement that she was headed the gospel way. A handful of gospel songs ensued,but that was as far as it went.