The Reinvention of singer Atemi Oyungu

If you have listened to the latest song by singer-songwriter Atemi Oyungu, who has built her reputation as the queen of love ballads, you probably know that she is trying something different from her usual sound.

“In Love”, in which she collaborates with dancehall and reggae artiste Wyre, is the second release from her new album titled Mahaba Hewani (love is in the air).

And this is just the beginning; the entire album will be composed of many different sounds including rap and Afro-pop, she confirms.

“(It) is an album of love songs. The first song, we dropped it during Easter. It’s my first gospel song because when you talk about love … I think love for God is also something we can talk about. I remember someone telling me that I was so in love with love. When I wrote the song featuring Wyre, I wanted a dancehall feel to it. And of course, it had to be Wyre because he is so passionate about music and such a professional and perfectionist,” Atemi says.

“As an artiste, you have to evolve and grow and your tastes change. When my first album came out, I was listening to a lot of Afro-fusion and neo-soul music, but now I listen to a song by American rapper Meg Thee Stallion and Beyoncé, and I thought to myself -- why was I not writing songs like the music I listen to? So I decided that the album would more or less reflect who I am,” she explains.

Also read:LIT360: Singer Atemi gets ‘Romantic’

The metamorphosis of Atemi has seen her move from wearing African-inspired designs, then she started wearing tailored dresses for a feminine look, and now she sports a funky look.

Her music too has changed. Atemi says she has been writing music to complement the stages of life she has been in.

“One of the things that has surprised my fans is my current personality and the Tik Tok videos I post. I mean, look at Beyoncé. I am a die-hard Beyoncé fan, but look at the music she started with and what she is doing now; it is different. You change as you go along and the things you like start to be different. But regardless of this, I will still have that authentic African sound. I want people to listen to my song, even if it is an English song, and know this is an African artiste,” she says.

The worst thing that she has encountered in her career is people complimenting her for her singing, but also sounding surprised that she is a Kenyan.

“I usually get offended when a fan who meets me for the first time says that. Because I translate that to mean that they think that good things cannot come from my country Kenya. It is not a compliment,” she says.

The new sound, however, does not mean she is going to change completely. The third song from the album, which will be released soon, is a deep soulful ballad.

“I am very much invested in the music industry in Africa and specifically in Kenya, I hear people venting that there are no Kenyan musicians, or Kenyan musicians are not good, but it is because they are not looking and listening. The truth is we have such wonderful Kenyan musicians,” she says.

Atemi is one of the respected singers in the country. She dazzled her fans with her unique afro-soul and melodious vocals.

Her career as a solo musician started like most – with being a backup singer for established artistes such as Eric Wainaina and Tim Rimbui.

Acapella group

At the time, she was in high school.

With friends, she formed an all-female acapella group that only sang in church.

Atemi started singing professionally after university.

“A lot of people do not know this; my first job out of university was at Klub House, I was the entertainment manager. I ran K1, K2 and Bottoms Up clubs in Nairobi. From this background, I learned a lot, including knowing that just because it does not exist, it does not mean you can’t create it,” she says.

She later quit and fully focused on her music career. Among her famous songs are “Bebi bebi”, “Usijali”, “Moyo” and “Romantic” that features Nameless.

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