Saint Evo not afraid to break from the norm
While Afro House Music (tribal, deep and soulful house music) has its roots predominantly in South Africa, Kenya has had its equal share of this pie with some of the best producers and deejays ruling these scenes. One of the producers making a mark in this area is Stephen Njeru, popularly known as Saint Evo.
Saint Evo has over 100 Afro House tracks that he has produced so far. In addition to this, he has performed at some of the biggest house concerts in Africa including; Sauti za Busara in Zanzibar, Bayimba Festival in Uganda, Rift Valley Festival in Naivasha and the Wilder Festival hosted by the late Tom Cholmondeley at the Soysambu Conservancy, amongst others. He has also played alongside South African Musician and DJ Prince Kaybee and Black Coffee in Nairobi and last year in September, played at the Kindred Soul Weekender Festival in London alongside the likes of MoBlack, Hyenah and Amp and Caiiro.
Early exploration
While many associate the music career with highly extroverted and outgoing personality, Saint Evo’s elder brother Jacob Ngunyi says the contrary is true for the artiste who is introverted by nature since his childhood. This kept him away from a lot of trouble both at school and at home. As a child, he was constantly interested in mechanical stuff, especially vehicles, always keen to explore and find out what made things work. He is the child who would open up the toys to check out how they worked. He was also an avid video gamer.
Up until the when Saint Evo was 15 years old, their family, made up of four siblings with Jacob as the second born and Evo the last born, grew up in Eastlands. “As a child, our uncle and aunts lived close by, so we really enjoyed most of our childhood since we received a lot of love and guidance from all. Further, our parents were ardent Christians and raised us to be ethical God-fearing individuals. Later on, we moved to Kitengela in Kajiado county. It is now 29 years since we started living here,” shares Jacob about their childhood.
The two brothers attended the same primary school, Thika Road Christian School in Kasarani. Saint Evo then proceeded to Arya Boys High School, Nairobi before moving to Saint Mary’s High School Yala, where he completed his secondary education in 2005. In 2007, Saint Evo was then enrolled at the University of Kwa Zulu-Natal, South Africa, where to study Business Administration. However, after his first year, he decided to quit and focus on a career in music.
“I think the first sign that there was something musical about Saint Evo, was when he started selling music (compact disc) CDs to his schoolmates at St Mary’s. He was passionate about people getting access to good music at an affordable price. His deejaying and music production skills only became apparent when he was attending university. Hence the reason he decided to discontinue university and concentrate on the musical path. The family has been supportive from day one. Thus, he has had a conducive environment to flourish and grow,” he shares about Saint Evo’s journey.
As the older brother, he has been walking the musical journey with him since the very day he decided to quit varsity and focus on his music career. In fact, he gave him the first laptop that he utilised for his production endeavours. He was also instrumental in raising funds for his sound engineering course at HomeBoyz Music Technology Academy and later decided to take on the role of being his manager.
The music talent, as he shares is hereditary; their father’s youngest brother is a music maestro. In his youth he played the piano, bass guitar, organ, drumset and trumpet. He was also the architect and conductor of the annual Christmas carols show at their local church.
“I was part of that show, so I got to witness our uncle’s prowess first hand. Later, my uncle quit music to focus on political science studies, leaving me wondering what kind of stellar career he would have achieved, had he kept on the musical path. So, when I observe Saint Evo, he is a mirror image of our uncle. Clearly, his musical prowess is in the blood. Sometimes when I listen to some of his productions, I feel him channeling narratives that can only be emanating from an inner reservoir of past narratives passed on,” says Jacob, a research psychologist and dog enthusiast.
He adds, “Our maternal great grandfather was an Indian man from Goa. When I witness the ease at which Saint Evo produces music relaying the musical narratives of Asiatic spaces, I realise it is a blood connection. Music producers construct music that tells their lived narratives inter alia. The ones who are able to aptly connect with their inner reservoirs readily reflect this in their musical works. Saint Evo has done this well.
The challenges that have previously bedeviled DJs in this space is the securing of gigs that are well paying. The problem has been that many promoters and establishments have viewed Afro House as esoteric and hence lack the fiscally motivation to book such acts. However, during the lockdown, many people were exposed to live streams of DJs playing Afro House and as a consequence, promoters and establishments underwent a Damascuean experience that has now seen Afro House DJs being booked more than before.
Beyond music
Saint Evo for one, has personally gone a step further and commenced his own promotions company called Kaptika, whereby he has a crew of local DJs who play at monthly shows that he hosts and also offer them more exposure by booking international DJ/producers to share the platform with.
As the big brother adds, perseverance is Saint Evo’s strongest trait, and it has greatly propelled him in life. “Since I began working with him, I have witnessed a lot of things that would make a weak person walk away from the music industry. One of the sources of Saint Evo’s staying power is his persistence in achieving his goals. He is not easily discouraged,” he says.
When he is not in the studio, you will find him tending to his spice and herb garden. He loves consuming herbal drinks; hence the cultivation of the same is close to his heart. And while Jacob breeds South African Boerboels for security work, the artist, also a dog-lover, takes charge of their grooming and medical needs.
“He is great at nursing pups and adept at finding first aid solutions to medical emergencies,” he shares fondly.
