Africahit - Kenya: Singer Ida Onyango dazzles Nairobi

The moment bootylicious USA based Kenyan singer Ida Onyango stepped on K2 stage for her debut performance in Kenya , the crowd booed and jeered at her ‘twang'.

Ida's crime was her utterance that she has been staying in USA since she was two years old which did not go well with drunk patrons.

For over five minutes the deafening boos outdid her pleas until emcee Edward Kwach came in to save her from the crowd as her begging was falling into deaf ears.

After Kwach intervened, Ida and her dancers were undeterred with the rude welcome as she rocked the crowd with his latest songs from the debut 13-track CD, aptly titled Nairobi .

On stage Ida was a revelation. She raised the ante with great groove, a hooky chorus and big rhythm as her beautiful dancers shocked the audience with well-choreographed moves and sways that could put R&B diva Beyonce Knowles to shame.

The initially unreceptive crowd was stunned with her wonderful soprano voice and decided to dance along. During the performance they screamed her name recognizing her oozing talent.

The moment Ida left the stage a few fans talked in low tones acknowledging her talent. “At least we have a girl who can sing at last and not mime on stage,” shouted a fan.

This was the bitter sweet welcome that befitted 21-year-old singer who stepped into the country after 19 years of studying in USA .

But Ida is not new to such rude awakenings as she has been on more strenuous performances and movie sets in the Tinseltown.

Apart from the singing, Ida has starred in silver screen Soap Opera, Days of Our Lives for one and half years.

“When I was shooting I took a break from school,” says the student of Los Angeles Valley College .

After her role in Days of our lives, Ida was picked for big screen role in the blockbuster movie Tears of the Sun starring Bruce Willis.

“I was shooting my part in Hawaii and had to leave music in the background,” she says.

She adds that everyone on the set was African apart from the navy seals.

Ida landed the roles from his management team. While on school stage in school play, Ida was noticed by acting scout from Hines and Hunt (H&H) Company that is responsible for her roles in big screen.

“I was called for auditions for both projects and bagged them,” she enthuses

Back at K2 the crowd was mad at her because she had misread the mood.

But the incident proved to be a blessing in disguise as she managed to put back the incident to forge ahead.

The vivacious Ida learnt the crowd and when she performed during Kisima awards ceremony she was all systems go. Dressed in a yellow strap top and tight fitting blue jeans with emerald jewels around the waist she showcased great talent. In fact Ida took the gathered audience in her stratosphere by storm and is ready to take on the world.

“I want to make sure that I do my music right,” she said during the interview.

Apart from the two gigs in Nairobi , Ida has been rocking audiences in USA . This beautiful young lady has been leaving audiences in awe with her dazzling performances and singing.

She has performed in prestigious hotels in LA, among them, Hilton Hotel and BB Kings Club at Universal city.

“I have performed in countless various venues in California ,” she adds.

Ida has also curtain raised for leading Kenyan artiste, Hardstone during his various performances. She has performed alongside Nameless, Mr. Lenny, Wahu and recently Gidigidi Majimaji during the USA tours.

The performances helped her win over many fans and boosted venue, Nairobi CD sales to 2,500 copies.

Recently Ida finished shooting her Music Video for the song "Tired" in USA . The song which is part of 13 titles is done is flowing R&B with African instrumentation to give it an edge in the competitive market.

“I want my songs to sound very authentic and that why I use African drums and guitars to blend my music,”

Though a few songs of the album like Jambo sound like assorted ballads the song that captures the ‘Africanness' of the album is Nairobi . Although she has not lived in the city she sounds passionate about it. The song has unique rap to complement her sensual voice.

“I'm trying to promote my music to the local scene so that Kenyans can listen to it,” she says

The singer adds that she will be releasing her music videos locally as well as internationally to get the necessary airplay.

Although the singer accompanied the parents to attend a burial of a relative in rural Siaya district she found time to shoot a new video, for Nairobi track locally.

“I wanted it to be something good and shot locally and not in the States,” she says.

Listening to the whole album, Ida has done a great job in various songs including Motherland, Hey, Be Good to Me, Make It Hot and Favourite Thing. The whole album gives R&B/Hip Hop a new direction that Ida is bringing into the world.

A natural songwriter and composer, Ida blends her creative abilities with the music in front of her to form a style that is unique and truly refreshing. A singing virtuoso in her own right, with good guidance from dad Benjamin Onyango and mother Elizabeth and a great management team behind her, Ida is headed nowhere but up.

She has built up an impressive resume with performances in festivals, school concerts, Performing Arts Conservatory public showcases, Jingles, and movie skits.

But Ida acknowledges that doing music in the USA is not a walk in the park.

“It's about hard work and keeping focused,” she adds.

She is produced by her dad, Benjamin Onyango popularly known as ‘Benji' of Afro-Merica records (AMR).

AMR owns a recording studio in Van Nuys , California .

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