For 30-year old musician Sir-len,born Lenard Njoroge Wangui, his main aim of becoming a musician is to inspire and give hope and at the same time to encourage a semblance of some sort between the society’s social classes, the rich and those yet to achieve material success.
The Mombasa based artist hopes that his recently released single ‘Kumbe’ will drive this effort forward even as he plans to release more music with conscious message aimed at particularly galvanizing the youth’s mojo and approach to life . He speaks to our writer Bernard Okumu on his aspirations and mission in music.
How did you develop interest in music
I discovered that I loved music while I was in class four at Kiranga Primary School in Kandara, Muran’ga county, when I realised that I had talent in music .The Sunday school teacher helped in spotting me after he put in a music group. Whenever we went for school competitions I would be the lead singer. In high school I continued with music and was encouraged by fellow students who even after school they followed up on me and kept inquiring whether I was continuing with music.
When did you decide to go to a music studio and record
I went to the studio after high school and the producer really liked my style and offered to record me we did record some music that however couldn’t be released . But I would say that I entered the market music industry properly in July 2023 following the release of this song ‘Kumbe’ that I am currently promoting.
Why should people listen to Kumbe,what message does it carry?
The music that I do basically tends to inspire and I felt that releasing Kumbe right now was appropriate so as to reflect on the challenging economic situation being felt in the country. The youth are hopeless and need direction so I decided to record the song so as to offer the youth hope and to trust in God.
What do you want to achieve with Kumbe and the message therein
First of all I want those at the lower end of the social system to know that things could change for the better, and to those who flaunt material and riches to be modest. The rush for material possession and success has led to some youth getting into crime and even some losing their lives in the process. So this song seeks to tell the youth to understand every situation and to the rich or those that are successful not to look down upon the rest in society and be humble.
What would you say about the institutions of man which basically determine whether one will be rich or not?
God has made each man with their own ways they shouldn’t copy one another and that they should follow their talents, if one is a farmer or business person they should pursue that with determination. Employment sometimes doesn’t guarantee one a future, one is not in control unlike if one is self employed.
The scenes in the video for the song kumbe portray certain message. How were you able to achieve that.
I wanted to show a clear picture of how God can help one move from poverty to riches hence the first scene where I am in the garden tilling and thereafter the story in the video develops and the song ends with me in a bungalow, a sign of having achieved and succeeded in life.Its not that first though like it appears in the video {Chuckles}..
What are your expectation of the Industry
I believe that with God everything is possible and my expectations is that I continue churning out music that will impact the listener positively and even reach a wider audience , even internationally.I aspire to change even three people that will be a success in my mission.
Parting shot
There’s a source of the message that I am giving ,this talent is for the benefit of the people and moreso changing the life of the youth.
Apart from music Sir-len is a businessman and runs a clothing shop, Jemlen’s Fashion Hub in Mombasa.
