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The young, beautiful, audacious and bubbly Shiphra Mkamburi, aka Shiphie, is redefining the Kenyan music space with her unique Afro-jazz sound. She exploits her talented voice to fuse two unique genres of Afro-pop and jazz, with the latter dominating her tunes to curate the beautiful Afro-jazz. Boasting of her unique roots in Mombasa, the hub of amazing singers, she delivers a dose of the coastal touch in her songs just to show her powerful diversity. She draws her stage name from her original name Shiphrah, showing how unapologetic, bold and proud she is about her brand, and ready to use her talent as a mirror of the society we live in
Shiphie, a university student in Mombasa, had the opportunity to grow up in different communities across the country, experiencing various cultures. She was born in Taita before moving to the Coast for studies. She then proceeded to Kiambu for her secondary school. She says this experience helped her to understand different cultures, enabling her to come up with songs that are diverse. She says her music is for the African people through the lens of a young, bold, unapologetic and proud singer.
She applauds her family for being the backbone of her music. Shiphie was brought up in a very artistic family,with both her mother and grandmother being singers and songwriters
in the community. She considers her talent a hereditary gift from her grandmother. This background influenced her immensely to join music.
Her songs are greatly inspired by her passion for expression and the freedom that she enjoys while creating her music. Her debut single, “Everything” is a love story on appreciating her
significant other, the perceptions of the society and the expectations of those around her. It highlights the confusion, pressure and beauty of love in a unique way. She continues to tell her African story through the less appreciated genre of Afro-jazz in the country and hopes to one day headline top concerts like Safaricom International Jazz Festival and Cape Town Jazz Festival.
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In her career that has just started, she has already bagged the judge’s award in the Pwani Got Talent Competition and she also won the 2nd edition of Extreme Idol. She was recently signed by Pine Creek Records. Mr Peter Nduati, the founder of the record label, describes her as the change that the industry has been waiting for. She is here to pioneer a new era of good and relatable music that is aimed at telling the African story in an authentic and real way.
For more information on music grab a copy of The Outsyder in The Nairobian every Friday.
