Voice of repute: Meet Judith Bwire rising from the shadows of other musicians, Afro-fusion artiste
Rising from the shadows of other musicians, Afro-fusion artiste Judith Bwire has broken traditional barriers to carve own niche in the live music circles, writes Mwendwa Kitheka.
In most parts of the world, young women keen to nurture individual musical sensibilities encounter countless hurdles.
At the onset, chances are that they mould their professional career as background vocalists (BGV), in many instances, in male-dominated bands.
For the majority, to step out of the shadows to chart one’s path as an independent recording artiste, takes years of hard work, consistency, discipline, and diligence.
One of such musicians is Kenyan Afro-fusion artiste Judith Bwire aka Mama Afrika.
“I started off on the ladder’s lower rung as a dancer, then rose to take on sporadic BGV duties.
Yet at the back of my mind, I knew I was destined to be a singer,” she intimates to Spice.
Judith is banking on almost a decade-long experience, thrilling revellers and enthusiasts at live music gigs, as the launch pad to make inroads beyond borders, preferably on international podiums.
Her latest song is an indicator of steadfast focus on this goal. She collaborates with Ghanaian flute artiste Yaw Dela Botri on the track Gbefa, Akan word for travel. Akan is a community from Ghana.
Her 2011 debut 11-track album Mama Afrika thrust the singer into the limelight.
It also ushered a new dawn, shaping her captivating prowess as a skilled vocalist.
Songs therein are Avakhone, Namacheke, Siamugera, Sikhai Malo, Dodo, Achali, Epondi, Rivero, Jakuria, and Pole Pole ft JP Ngandu. Subsequent single releases are Omuri and Mama among others.
“I have been working hard to repackage the way our indigenous Manyala-rooted music style is delivered and performed, infusing a distinctive signature to my songs,” she notes. Manyala is a subtribe from the Luhya community.
Though she does not always grab news headlines as often as her contemporaries do, Judith has steadily sung her way into Nairobi’s relatively competitive and fast evolving music scene.
Against the odds
The soft-spoken singer hardly minces her words. She candidly recounts having to rise over myriad odds in a quest to find her footing in a predominantly male domain.
“Growing older, I gradually figured out, what a man can do, a woman can try to do it in a more refined way,” she quips.
Along the musical journey, a stint as a professional dance choreographer, added the much-needed sheen on her fledging Afro-fusion, neo-traditional music career.
She would regularly perform as a Voi Primary School pupil in front of audiences, singing solos.
This feat won her multiple Kenya Schools Music Festivals certificate awards and trophies.
“At teenage, I knew that I wanted to be a singer, though it has taken much longer to identify style of music to pursue,” notes Judith.
Singing has always complemented dancing; even in church where as a choir member, many in the congregation swayed in harmony as she sang most hymns’ lead vocals.
In addition, her exceptional dance choreography skills have propped up inherent artistic prowess at live concerts and festivals in different global cities’ venues.
She has participated in gigs across Africa (Morocco, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Uganda), Europe (UK, France, Germany, Denmark, Spain, and Netherlands), Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Japan and China.
In early 2019, Judith earned an invite as stage performer for a one-off production developed within framework of the Shifting Realities event held in Germany and Morocco.
The project pooled together a collective of musicians, choreographers and contemporary dancers, drawn from Senegal, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria and Germany.
Hellerau Quarter in Dresden and Dusseldorf cities hosted the two-month showcase, before shifting to week-long International Contemporary Dance Festival in Marrakech, Morocco.
Notably, Judith also featured prominently at the Mitumba-A-Happening series of dance and musical shows staged in Tanzania, Kenya and Cologne, Germany in 2013.
Raised in a home where music equipment occupied every free space (her dad owned a disco sound system), she gained immensely from attending the Agricultural Society of Kenya shows, where there would be live concerts.
“I was underage then, and hang around nearby stands, whilst bands performed.
Specific songs and harmonies playing on radio or cassettes players were also mesmerising,” she recalls.
Conquering self-doubt
Also memorable are moments when intermittent self-doubt waves crept into her mind.
Or having to stave off mild outrage emanating from cross sections of extended family for opting to plunge into the arts.
Judith’s music career took root during elementary high school years, thanks to a conscious decision to embark on singing and dancing for varied church choirs.
In 2006, a major break inadvertently cropped up. A call came through; Kenge Kenge Orutu System band wanted a dancer or backing vocalist, a last minute replacement for World Music Festival series concerts tour across Europe.
“Watching excited, growing audiences from atop podiums, these experiences gradually fired my desire to fine tune my music career,” she notes.
In early 2008, her musical dalliance blossomed. She took a leap of faith, a radical shift to transform her artistic abilities in pursuit of a recording career.
“I knew I wouldn’t dance forever, but could actually build upon individual strengths.
As an artiste and performer, I wanted to continue being on stage,” she adds.
She took time off, learnt to compose and create music using the nyatiti. “I was excited to compose, sing my own songs, not copyrights.
And just as a fish takes to the water, so did singing come naturally for me,” she remarks.
Seasonal travels across the globe had come full cycle, bearing fruit in assorted elements she picked up from different cultures, now evident in her songs.
In her view, after years as a BGV and dancer in other musicians’ shadows, boldly stepping out into spotlight as an artiste is a milestone.
“Among our Manyala community, as a young lady grows older, she stops using her mother’s pot.
She’s encouraged to use her own skillet pan to cook meals,” notes Judith, waxing philosophical.
Her word to girls seeking to be musicians: “Pursuit of a professional music career is never an easy option.
Success requires consistent effort; always explore new ideas. Keep an open mind, strive to learn, and don’t let anyone intimidate or derail your vision to create music.”
