Unnecessary noise that turned into hit songs

As a parent, what Stella Bao needed was a peaceful environment, which she couldn’t get when her noisy daughter, Adasa was around. She shares about her daughter’s music journey and the unique bond they share.

Jasmine Atieno @sparkleMine  

Last year might have been a difficult year for many owing to the challenges brought by Covid-19.

But it was also the breakthrough year for Mombasa-based songbird, Adasa.

She released five songs including; Tunaendana, Mahaba Niue, Nipekeche and featured Benzema in her song Najikakamua. All which are doing well and have gained immense popularity countrywide.

According to her mum Stella Bao, Adasa has always been different. Even carrying her in my womb was different from the rest of her siblings— it was easier and did not weigh her energy out.

And when she gave birth to her 23 years ago at the Coast Provincial General Hospital, everything went on smoothly. 

Adasa, born Esther Mwangala started school at Mtwapa Elite Academy, Mombasa, before transferring to Mtomondoni Primary School where she sat her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exams in 2012.

She later joined Lutsangani Mixed Secondary School, Chonyi, where she sat her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education in 2016. But the one thing that she maintained was her ‘noisy nature’.

Not the one to be silenced

“She was always singing something loud. We had so much friction at the time as I kept telling her to stop the noise because I needed some peaceful time. But she sure loved to sing and nothing would stop her.

I think she was about 10 years when she started singing in church. But it is at secondary school that the music fully took its course in her life,” shares the singer’s mum.

When Adasa left for boarding school, their home was quiet, the silence that her mother desired.

The neighbours on the other hand seemed to be more alert on her return. They loved to hear her sing and would know whether she was home when they heard her singing.

It was not until Bao got to hear a song Adasa had recorded during school holidays that she changed her mind.

“She recorded a song secretly with a close friend who was also in school at the time. Later, her elder sister requested me to listen to the song without giving me any information on the artistes.

I listened to the song and it was really good. I liked it. That is when she informed me that it was Adasa singing.

This was a real awakening. She had nurtured her own talent this far while I had always dismissed it as noise.

So for the first time, we sat down and talked about it, she opened up on the many songs that she had been writing while in school. That’s when I started supporting her fully,” shares the mother of three. 

After secondary school, the young singer got air of Talanta Mtaani talent search while at her part time job at a local shop and could not pass the opportunity for anything.

After a successful performance at the talent show, she got an opportunity to perform regularly at Pride Inn hotel, Mombasa.

This gig meant she would regularly ask for off days and her employer did not take it lightly. She was fired, but on the other hand, her performances at the hotel became more stable.  

This is not exactly the career path Bao wished her daughter would have taken. In fact, she wanted her to be a nurse or pursue any white-collar job.

When it became clearer  her daughter had chosen music, she wished it was at least gospel rather than secular.

But she was helpless when it came to this choice. “I was happy and supportive of her talent.

But I wished she had chosen gospel music. I went to seek intervention of our church leader, who also tried to convince her to do gospel music. But she said straight up that she was not interested in gospel music.

She is honest and sincere about her feelings and that is something I have come to appreciate so much. She also assured me that it was just a career and she would not get lost in worldly lifestyles.

So I retreated. I can’t force her to change, but I continue to pray that in the right time, she will sing gospel songs too,” shares the business woman. 

Different path

This musical journey has not been the easiest. In fact, it was a big challenge in the beginning, especially money matters.

Then there were those who were overworking and conning her off her earnings. But she has grown and learnt, and as her mother shares, the future looks bright for her young star. 

And as much as she has never attended any of her live performances, she looks out for all her interviews on radio, TV and other platforms.  

“Most of the time when she has performances, they clash with my schedules.

I do get the recording of the shows though and we talk about everything. This is the difference between her and my other children; she is open.

When she is away from home, she calls me more than three times in a day. We talk about relationship issues too, that’s why I can assure you that she is single at the moment. I have come to cherish this relationship and bond so much,” she intimates.