KenyanGospel.com recently sat down with a gifted young lady about to cause ripples. A breath of fresh air to the Kenyan gospel industry. If you're just joing us be sure to check out Part I of our interivew with Mercy Njoki.
Nakupa is a wedding song off the album plus a couple of others. Tell us about that side of your music, how it was birthed and where you envision it going.
The wedding songs! I have been very pleasantly surprised by the reception of people to the wedding songs. There seems to be a consensus that there aren’t enough people singing “pure” love songs, i.e. songs that don’t have sex or conquests as the end game. I began writing songs as a gift to my friends who were getting married. They would ask me to sing, and I wanted for them to have their OWN song. The more people asked me to sing, the more songs I wrote. The songs were mostly for the bride to walk down the aisle to…why walk to someone else’s song?? Nakupa, was an unplanned song, it was for no-one in particular. It happened that I was singing at one of the wedding fairs that take place in the city; that was when the song came to me. It is a favorite of many, another pleasant surprise! In terms of envisioning, I definitely intend to do a wedding song album; I’m excited at the prospect and the encouragement by many people to do it. I look forward to having brides walk down the aisle to more original songs, their own songs, I think it makes the moment even more special.
What are your plans for 2013?
2013 is a big year! Plans are in place to go back to the studio and to be more deliberate about my music. The first album introduced me to what was out there and showed me what to expect. I think God allowed me to come out, see and then took me back to grow some more. I feel it is time to get back to it. Getting back in studio may develop into a full album or even two, who knows?
You are also very involved in counseling, especially with high school students. Please tell us more about that...
As a teenager, I was a very self-conscious, very unsure girl. Life doesn’t give you a break in those moments, like okay, I see you’re trying to get an identity, or you’re little unsure of yourself… let me stop and wait for you to sort yourself out…life keeps moving! So as I was trying to figure myself out, I was trying to fit in, I was trying to do well in school, I was trying to make right choices, the challenges were so many! It is unfortunate that we only realize how crazy life was in retrospect. Despite all the teenage drama, I turned out alright and I thank God. He surrounded me with older people/friends who walked me through issues, listened to all my drama, laughed and cried with me and kept me grounded. My high school counseling is birthed from that. From the fact that people were there for me and there are not enough older people, even parents, paying attention to the teenagers around us. Not enough people willing to listen to them, walk with them and help build them, we’re all so busy. So I purposed to be deliberate about working with teens, I have volunteered as a high school counselor for a time and I’m looking to keep doing that and hopefully even add to my number and have a movement of young adults who will consciously reach out to the generation that is after us, to help them through this very delicate stage of life. If we get a teenager conscious/aware, stable and confident while still in high school, there is nothing he/she will not be able to face and achieve in the future.
It's been an absolute pleasure chatting with you. We wish you the very best in 2013 and beyond. Before you leave any parting words...
It is not possible in this life to truly be productive and content outside of purpose. Every one of us has something we’re good at, something we’re passionate about; and I believe God designed it like that for a reason, that in each of us doing what we’re supposed to, we would all have what we need. I would encourage guys to endeavor to plug in to what their purpose is and not to let the dream or desire die…keep going, God has a spot for you to make a mark in this world…you can’t just live for the sake of living!
Beef or Chicken - Chicken, ANYDAY!!
Black or White - I go with the color that works at any given moment, so both
USA or UK - USA, I’m beginning to realize one can truly become anything in that country; people have the most random careers!
Piano or Guitar - BOTH, they both sound so good!
Eko Dydda or Juliani - BOTH, I like that despite their fame, they’re very down-to-earth guys
Today or Tomorrow - TODAY! God is the only one who knows about tomorrow, today is the only time we have to do what needs to be done
