Diamond Platnumz' Collabo With Ne-Yo Tops Kenya's iTune Charts

Bongo superstar Diamond Platnumz is making headlines, after his latest hit single Marry You featuring American R&B icon Ne-Yo topped iTunes charts in Kenya.

Diamond Platnumz.

According to Africa Creative Agency (ACA), the single (which was recorded in Nairobi in 2015) was a monumental release for East Africa as it was Diamond's first major label release since becoming the first East African artiste to sign to Universal Music Group - the world’s leading entertainment company. 

Also, ACA in partnership with SK Entertainment recently secured a record and publishing deal for Diamond with Universal Music Group.


Diamond and Ne-Yo have kept close contact since their first meet up in Kenya, and through Marry You, the label mates flaunt a successful show for their camaraderie. In just two weeks, the video - shot in Los Angeles and Johannesburg - has already surpassed two million views on YouTube.

Ne-Yo.

 
Universal Music Managing Director South Africa & Sub-Saharan Africa Sipho Dlamini says: 

“We’re very excited about signing Diamond. He’s a star. He is talented and full of energy and creatively he’s on par with any international artiste I’ve worked with. He’s focused and determined to succeed. He’s passionate about his country – his people – his language and his culture and I love that. He is a first class performer on stage, his new material is authentic, fresh and African, yet it will touch people across the globe. Artistes like him are the reason we do what we do.”

Watch the video below:

 

Sumptuous Friday As Uber Kenya Treats App Users To 'Nyam Chom'

Technology firm Uber Kenya will tomorrow (Friday, February 10th, 2017) treat its app-users in Nairobi and Mombasa to free ‘nyama-choma’ lunch as part of a limited edition marketing campaign to delight Uber riders. 

The campaign which will run for only two hours (12pm – 2pm) will be accessible to Uber users in specified locations within the two cities in the country where Uber operates.
 
Commenting on the activity, Uber Head of Marketing, Dip Patel said:

"At Uber, we are always looking for innovative, engaging and creative ways to create excitement and brand loyalty among our consumers – they are after all, the reason we do what we do. At the touch of a button over lunchtime tomorrow, Uber riders will receive a delicious, hot plate of nyama choma without having to leave their offices or their homes."

In order to receive the free choma, Nairobi riders will have to be in Westlands or in the Central Business District, while in Mombasa, the offer is valid for riders across the city. The promotion simply requires Uber riders to open the app during this time window, tap the UberCHOMA banner at the bottom of their screen and request an UberCHOMA. If the request is successful, a driver will arrive at their location with free Nyama Choma.


He added,

“Whilst we would like as many of our riders to benefit from this campaign, the free choma will be available on a first come – first served basis. Only users who are within the coverage area will be able to see the UberCHOMA banner.”

A similar campaign will run across Kampala and Dar Es Salaam, the other East African cities with an Uber presence.

Acting General Manager for Uber in East Africa, Loic Amado, said, 

“We know that one of the things that defines us most, even in the cities, is our culture. This campaign is just one way of celebrating the vibrant East African culture and connecting with our consumers in a different and memorable way.”

Valentine's Day Is Here! Kenyans In UK Named Country's 'Most Generous Long Distance Lovers'

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, new report has revealed the most romantic Kenyans living in the diaspora! 

New data released by money transfer service WorldRemit show that Kenyans living in the United Kingdom are the most romantic and most generous long distance lovers, sending home on average $26 (Sh2,600) more than usual to their loved ones on Valentine’s Day, thus, being ranked as Kenya's "most generous long distance lovers".

Following closely behind are Kenyans who have migrated and are currently living in; Australia and New Zealand.

Remittances play an important role in the economy of Kenya. According to official WorldBank data, Kenyans abroad sent over $1.5 billion (Sh100 billion) back home to friends and family in 2015.

Alix Murphy, Director of Mobile Partnerships at WorldRemit, said: 

“Looking at this year’s data we can see that Kenyans in the UK, Australia and New Zealand are planning ahead and sending more money to their loved ones in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day. On average, these groups sent $8 (Sh800) to $26 (Sh2,600) more for Valentine’s Day compared to the next week to mark the occasion.” 

The WorldRemit app lets people send money straight from their smartphone, instead of having to travel to a money transfer agent. Those receiving money– often in developing countries - can collect the funds as Mobile Money, bank transfer, for cash pickup or as a mobile airtime top-up.

WorldRemit’s service is available to senders in 50 countries. It offers transfers to more than 140 destinations across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas. WorldRemit customers send 580,000 transfers every month.

GrandPa Records Hits The Road With Mobile Recording Studio

After a long break, music record house GrandPa Records is once again hitting the road with it's unique 'Mobile Recording Studio'.

The mobile studios will move from one county to another, with an aim of reaching to artistes out of Nairobi County. According to GrandPa Records CEO Yusuf Noah aka Refigah, not every artiste can afford the travel expenses from other places across the country to the label's headquarters in Nairobi to record their music.

He says:

"We will be moving from county to county whereby we've decided to take our services to artistes outside Nairobi. We get a lot of artistes visiting our studios from different parts of the country, most times it is very expensive for them paying for transport and accommodation.and not all can afford. That is why we've come up with GrandPa Mobile Recording studio project making quality production affordable."

The incredible initiative is set to kick off in Mombasa, in partnership with Swahili Pot Hub, starting from March 1st to 5th, followed by Arts Mentorship Programme on March 6th and 7th. After Mombasa, GrandPa Mobile goes to Eldoret, Kisumu, Embu, Nyeri, Turkana, Kakamega and Isiolo among other parts of the country.

For coast region bookings and more info, you can contact GrandPa's agent DJ Lenium on 0780735513 or 0714336666.

Habida's Back With A New Song, Plans To Set Up Music Studio

MTV-award winning Kenyan songbird Habida Moloney has released a new single titled Sweet Love.

Habida.

A solid entrant back into the music scene, the song is Habida's ode to her family, Kenya and the music industry. It touches on all the little and big things that make her love Kenya so passionately. In the song, Habida features Ghanaian crooner JTown, celebrated for his genuine talent and having some of Ghana’s best rhymes. The breath-taking jazzy R&B song was engineered by UK music geniuses and co-produced by the acclaimed UK-based African producer Silvastone.

Read also: HABIDA'S WORLD'S AIDS DAY MESSAGE

Habida has planned an exclusive listening party to celebrate the song and some major announcements. She is inviting 10 of her super fans to join her at the upcoming invite-only event slated for February 13th at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Nairobi.

Fresh off touring and traveling continents in the past several months, she says of the release:

"This song is a different sound from the usual Habida sound because I have grown as a woman, wife and mother. I wrote Sweet Love while I was homesick and missing all the little things that make Kenya unique like Swahili Food - I had missed Kaimati, Mahamri and Pilau."

Habida

Hot on the heels of her return to Kenya, Habida has also announced that she will be setting up a music studio and management imprint in Nairobi, a process that will start this February. She hopes that this will be an incubator for emerging Kenyan talent. She talks about the inspiration and why she intends for her studio to fill a gap in the Kenyan music industry. 

“While accompanying my husband on his tours of duty in South Africa and Nigeria, I realized that good management is vital for the growth of artistes," she says.

Kenyatta University Student Wins #SamsungColoursOfKE Social Media Contest

Makenna Wanjiku.

Makenna Wanjiku is the winner of the second edition of #SamsungColoursOfKE social media competition.

The 2016 Samsung Colours of Kenya competition was aimed at celebrating Kenya’s heritage. The contest attracted over 50 photography enthusiasts from all over the country in an August InstaMeet held in Nairobi.

According to Samsung Electronics EA product manager for Visual Display Samuel Odhiambo, this year’s competition was founded to encourage Kenyan photographers and Instagrammers to come up with one picture which would bring out colours and elements that from their opinion, represents Kenya and its attractions.

Patricia Kinyolo (Consumer Electronics Manager), Makenna Wanjiku and Samuel Odhiambo (Product Manager Samsung).

He says: "The owner of the winning photo gets to walk away with a Samsung Smart TV while the Top 10 most liked photos will be put in a digital gallery for display on Samsung SUHD TV sets in Samsung retail stores across the country."

Makenna, a fourth year Public Health student at Kenyatta University, walked away with a new 48 inch Samsung Smart LED TV. According to Lyra Aoko, one of the judges at the contest, attributes Makenna’s win to her strategy to bring out Kenyans’ warm and colorful nature.

"The winning photo stood out because of the creativity that was linked to it. To create an illusion of someone being kicked by a graffiti shoe was brilliant on Makenna’s part. That is the kind of creativity that differentiates photographers," she says.

Makenna with Lyra Aoko.

Photographs that were entered for the competition were evaluated on a number of fronts including subject matter, colour composition, picture quality as well as originality.

Avril's New Release Celebrates Women

Sultry Kenyan singer Avril has released a new song titled Yule Dame.
 
The song is a celebration of all the women working hard to achieve their dreams regardless of the situations they are dealt with everyday.

"Yule Dame is a song that was written by Amileena and performed by myself. Immediately she sent me the song to sing, I was blown away by the message because I could relate so fast and was sure that so many women could relate as well," says Avril.

Also Read: King Kaka Releases Sixth Video Off His Fourth Album 

She adds, "I was extremely humbled to have all these super women from all spheres of life agree to be part of this project through the video because the song resonated with them. I hope that this song once heard, gives a woman out there the reason to dust herself off and move on regardless."

Yule Dame was produced by DJ Space for MOB Studios. 

"Yule Dame is a fairly new sound introduced to the Kenyan Music scene by Avril. The track is partly electronic and partly acoustic with a live feel. She has evolved musically and specifically vocally, hence giving her Female fans something to enjoy and celebrate femininity and women successes during this festive season. Avril is definitely the Kenyan and East African Diva to watch out for this coming year," says DJ Space

The video was directed by N.X.T a talented duo from Zambia.

Watch it below: