Bedroom singing sessions that nurtured an artiste

The return to normalcy has brought a lot of good tidings, including some of the biggest reggae concerts since Covid-19 pandemic hit.

These include the recent legendary Luciano’s the Messenger Concert, which took place a month ago in Nairobi. The concert dubbed ‘Unite the Youth’ was a call for peace and unity amongst the youth, especially as the country heads towards the General Elections in August. And it is here that reggae lovers countrywide got a treat of some of the best and budding Kenyan reggae artists, one of them being songstress Mariah Ngoma.

Aside from giving a heartfelt performance at the concert, Mariah, whose real name is Mary Nyawacha, is celebrated to also having graced some of big shows in the country in the past, even sharing the stage with big names such as Jamaican artiste Richie Spice. She has also featured on international riddims with great names such as Anthony B and Lutan Fyah, and just recently released a new hit song, Make a change a collaborative project with Salma Queen.  

Early nurturing

As her elder sister, Doughty Anyango shares, it is not a surprise that Mariah chose to pursue music as a career as music runs in the family with their mum and aunty also being singers. Aside from that, her family has been passionate about music since they were children. 

“Growing up, we used to have singing sessions at night in the bedroom, where one of us would lead a song and the rest of us sang along… It was so nice …wow, I miss those days. It was here that she slowly started to develop her interest in music, she would start writing down small notes and we would join in the singing. In school, she was active in music festival, and at church, she used to sing during Sunday services. We loved to listen to reggae music and I believe that is where her love for this genre of music found root,” shares the fourth born in the family of six.

As Doughty intimates, the family spent most of their childhood moving from one town to the other following their father’s several work transfers, before eventually settling down in Nairobi. Their father, George Nyawacha (now retired) was a senior auditor with one of the top security firms in the country. He is currently offering consultancy services in the same field, while their mother, Jane Nyawacha, (also retired) was a caterer, but is now enjoying her post retirement time at home making tasty food and delicacies for the family. 

“My dad got transferred a lot at work and we lived in almost all major towns in this country, but finally settled in Nairobi, Eastleigh then moved to Embakasi where most of our childhood memories were made. Being an almost all girl family, my mum never took a chance with us, she was a strict disciplinarian, insisting that we had to excel in your studies,” she intimates. 

Mariah attended Our Lady of Mercy Primary School in Shauri Moyo, Nairobi, where she sat her final exams in 2005 and later on joined Keveye Girls High school in Vihiga county where she sat her Kenya Certificate of Secondary School Education in 2009. After secondary school, she joined Moi University- Main campus in Eldoret to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship and graduated in 2015. 

Being the last born, Mariah was pampered a lot. In fact, Doughty shares that they still call her Toto, a nickname she was given by their dad. And while she easily wins crowds with her melodious tunes, 

Memorable moments

Mariah has had many memorable moments in the reggae music industry, the first being the release of her breakthrough hit, Conqueror, which greatly grew her fan base. The others include sharing the stage with her icons and Jamaican stars- Richie Spice and Etana, and the recent show alongside a legend in the industry, Luciano Messenger. 

When she is not busy creating music, recording in the studio or performing, Mariah likes to give back to the community, she takes part in a mentorship project in Embakasi Nairobi, where she offers free vocal training and talks with young and upcoming singers, guiding them on how to handle pressure and navigate the music industry. 

Doughty is certain that Mariah will over the next few years grow into a household name — a force to reckon with not only locally, but also in the international scene.