Nairobi News

Anastacia Wangui’s earliest memory of her exploits in music was getting a beating from her mother for singing during dinner. She was about seven years old.

Through the years that followed, she continued to sing and was always chosen as the lead vocal in church, primary and even high schools.

Unfortunately, none of the schools offered music and thus never saw it as a viable career option.

She studied business management in college and landed an administrative job in a law firm soon after, which she has held for nine years now.

From 8am to 5pm, five days a week, she manages schedules including trials dates and hearings. She also conducts research for report presentation, maintains legal management systems and prepares legal correspondence.

When she isn’t working, she sings. This time though, the 31-year-old is making money out of it.

Initially, she always stopped at singing other people’s songs.

“I was good at it but that was where it stopped,” she said.

She began taking her singing seriously when she met Patrick, her trainer, at Deliverance Church Umoja in 2006. Her first stint in a recording studio happened the same year.

At that point, she was not doing it for herself but to pass inspirational messages.

She had just begun her administrative job and was low on cash and recording was very slow. She took two years to record her first album ‘Kwa Mfano’ which has 10 songs. She launched it in 2008. She has since released her second album ‘Asante’, a compilation of eight songs.

She restricts her studio time to Saturdays and Sundays and when off duty. Although she occasionally takes invitations to perform in the evenings, most of her stage performances take place during weekends and holidays.

Initially, she financed her studio time and music production with savings from her day job but it has grown to finance itself and give her extra income.