Akothee’s ascension to musical prominence in Kenya almost didn’t happen. It also was a little bit surprising given that she wasn’t possess what one needed for one to be undoubtedly called a singer or musician.
This is a woman who has fought tooth and nail,fought with utmost zeal and unbreakable tenacity to be be noticed and respected as a singer worth her mettle in Kenya’s very crowded and confusing pool of musical artists.
Her biggest claim to fame,I believe,was not the fact that she could ‘sing’,but the fact that she strode into the limelight with the sort of pompousness that was hard to ignore ; she came fiercely,exploding onto us like a firecracker,laying bare her life,her very colorful past,waxing lyrical about her wealth and the many controversial ways she acquired it and much more.
She had been bubbling under for a minute… Until the inevitable happened. And when it did,girlfriend spared no time in seizing the opportunity,hogging the limelight and wasting not a single minute of the camera time accorded to her.
We all agreed unanimously; Akothee CANNOT sing. But we also agreed on one other thing; Akothee can entertain. And therefore,we knew we needed her in the industry.
Where many failed,gents and ladies alike,Akothee excelled. She harnessed her energies and popped her finances to create one huge entertainment war chest called ‘Akothee’ and she was quick to ascend to the top,was quick to forge a beautiful rapport with many a media personalities and also quick to penetrate the very murky blogging industry garnering some very positive coverage.
Along the way,Akothee,ever the smart media Darling,decided to pepper her past and draw strength from her brokenness,her questionable past,her unpopular choices and her family and kids.
Inspired by her unapologetic nature,her lack of shame in the choices she’d made,her spirited attacks on errant men and the whole male species,Kenyan women started appreciating themselves more,embracing their past more and even forgiving themselves for an array of mistakes they thought they’d made.
Akothee also became a subject of envy from many a Kenyan women… The fact that she looked so flawless and yet had given birth to over three kids,all of whom she’d singlehandedly raised and still lived with,baffled many women. The fact that she’d avoided abortion,preferring to give birth and carry her pregnancies to term,made many women reevaluate their life choices.
She also took time to remind us that she was a singer… And a messy one at that. She told us that she was one to splash millions on a video shoot,and when the said videos finally dropped,we believed her. Her videos,at least the latest ones,oozed of nothing but opulence,flashiness,beautiful cars,spectacular locations and gorgeous shots. She shot most of the scenes abroad,too. A trend mastered by the Nigerian entertainment maestros.
We didn’t understand her music either. Or the way she chose to sing her songs. We found her noisy,shrilling,cacophonous,aimless and lethargic but she made up for all that lack of musical gifts with the tasty videos and captivating lifestyle.
And just when we thought she was done pulling a fast one on us,Akothee executes the ultimate musical coup by collaborating with Africa’s Bongo King Diamond Platinumz at a time when the likes of Jaguar and Sauti Sol and many others were angling for the coveted chance of working with him.
She even got Diamond,the Ultimate East Africa super star,to feature in the video,stealing him from his tighter than tight schedule and managing to even flirt with him and share a sensuous dance…in a masterfully shot video,dripping of everlasting class and grace.
By working with him,and even shelling out an impressive fee to have him drop a verse in her song,Akothee played the ultimate business card…Get the hottest African act to endorse you and your art and,along the way,rack up a whole new crowd of fans,gain massive views on YouTube(as evidenced in this screen grab) and expand your brand in a way that many haven’t.
The song itself is as unmemorable as Wambora’s speech in the Senate but still,we watched the video,maybe more than once,and reveled in the brilliance of having Diamond work with one of our own. And somehow,she even got Diamond to hype the song up on his very huge Instagram page thus proving that this was not just any other corridor collabo but one with soul and zeal invested.
And again,the media blitz began,she was on all networks promoting the single and video, not forgetting to drag along her ostentatiousness and to talk a little smack given the chance.
Unlike any other Kenyan female singer,Akothee has demonstrated nothing but unbreakable passion,unrelenting spirit and a drive that seems almost unassailable.
She may have failed disastrously at singing,at songwriting,at crafting a perfect tune-or even holding it,but has still managed to circumvent her obvious lack of talent with what showbiz really is all about ; Antics.
Looking at her,nothing seems to be able to stop all this energy,all this drive,all this gusto… Not facts,not boundaries,not the media,not money and certainly not her kids or lack of a man.
Tenaciously,Akothee has broken the glass ceiling,taught her female peers in this male-dominated industry how to stand up for themselves and package themselves,put her best foot forward and left no room for regrets or rants and towered even above entertainment legends and come for the crown.
She may not win us over with her music,but she’s won us over with her persistence,her ingenuity,her masterful craft,her moves and her tigritude.
Armed with a bottomless pit of money,the attitude of a Queen,the drive of an ancient warrior,the vision of a seer and the hunger of a novice,Akothee is fast taking over.
All hail Akothee… The new maverick,the new provocateur, the new icon.
