Two of Kenya’s leading female instrumentalists: the
TEDGlobal 2017 fellow, Kasiva Mutua, (Percussionist) and Olive Karmen (Drummer)
are set to debut on Africa's biggest music show, Coke Studio Africa - 2017,
this year as part of the show's live band. This is the first time Coke Studio
Africa has featured female instrumentalists in a bold move to show that Africa
has great talent and there are many opportunities for women in the arts
industry. The two have both grown tremendously in their careers and are
considered to be the best professionals in their field.
Speaking on her debut on Coke Studio, Kasiva says, “I am
humbled to be on Coke Studio Africa because it is a big platform for an artist
and for the show to consider me it shows that my hard work has paid off,”
adding, “The platform has exposed me to afro pop music which I had not done
before. I am now able to infuse some elements of percussions into afro pop and
still make it dope!” Kasiva - a Ted 2017 fellow just gave a talk in
Tanzania at the TEDGlobal 2017 Conference about her career and how to be a
successful in your craft. Her love for percussions has seen her perform on
various platforms locally and internationally. She has also shared the stage
with a number of veteran artists such as Kidum, Dela, Mutinda, Suzanna Owiyo
and Iddi Achieng.
After being given opportunities to hone her skills and
become a better artist by several artists including Kenyan singer Sage,
celebrated Kenyan drummer, Olive Karmen, will make her debut on Coke
Studio this year as one of the show's drummers. She has been mentoring
youth on music and drumming at BLAZE Mentorship Initiative. Since 2012, her career
in the music industry has grown exponentially. Speaking on her involvement
on the show, Karmen says, “Coke Studio Africa has opened me up to new audiences
and new opportunities to work with artists that normally I wouldn't have been
in contact with. It has opened my eyes on new ways of creating new sounds with
some of Africa's most influential artists,” adding, “The experience has been
exciting! I can't really be put into words.”
This year, Coke Studio has merged Coke Studio Africa and
Coke Studio South Africa into one—bigger and better, Coke Studio Africa – 2017.
The show will include artists from South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania,
Rwanda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, Angola, Zimbabwe, Togo, Cote d’Ivoire,
Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, DRC and Cameroon. The new season will
premiere in more than 30 countries across Africa from September this year.
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