T5: With Benjamin Webi

1. Do you still remember your first live performance?

Of course! It was around 2004 at Nairobi Pentecostal Church Karen during a youth Sunday service. You rarely ever forget a nerve-wracking, first-time-performance experience!

2. Which of your songs do you like most? Or is that akin to having a favourite child?

One is actually allowed to have favourites, as long as we are talking about songs. Honestly, I like all my songs and I listen to them quite often. However, the song that currently stands out for me is titled New Day. It is a pick-me-up song that has carried me through some pretty trying times.

3. As a father, how do you balance creativity and fatherhood?

I am constantly learning that being a family man is my most important assignment. The work I do as a creative and an artist just buttresses my role as a husband and father. It helps me get my priorities right and keeps me disciplined.

4. Tell us a little bit about your new single…

It is called Umenitoa Mbali, and is the first single off my coming extended playlist Let the Light In. The EP drops on February 19, 2021 and the song is about acknowledging God’s consistent goodness and looking back at life’s experiences. We wrote it together, and Rigga produced it at Chumbani Media. It also features two musicians - Ivy Alexander (lead guitar), and Sedar Malaki (bass). It can be streamed on my YouTube page (webimusic), and on webi.bandcamp.com.

5. What's the last song you heard that really caught your attention and imagination?

There are quite a few, but I’ll pick Kidum’s Nipe Nguvu. I listened to it a lot in 2020 when there was so much uncertainty. That song reminds me to ‘transport myself’ to the Lord every time I feel weary from life’s challenges. Plus, it is a really well produced song. A true spirit lifter.