Crafts &Aesthetics:Sheikha takes to fame with her big hit "Bahati|

The song begins with the techno sound minus the beats and vocals for about six seconds which misleads you to think it is Chris Brown’s ‘Forever’ cover of some kind. Then it quickly transitions out of the Eurodance effect that dominated Chris Brown’s hit song to a moderated up tempo smooth and exotic Afro beat that gives it the distinct quick signature of an African tune made in Africa though with incorporated elements from other pop genres from the US and Europe.

Before you absorb the rich dance nature of the song, a mellow voice seamlessly begins to ride on the rich rhythm and the mellow mood created by the techno and trance sound incorporated in the melody of the song. Before beginning to sing, a soft and sure female voice lets you know it is Mercy Wangari aka Sheikha.There is light hook in the beats which then transitions to the song itself  which is  a regular danceable fast tempo mixed Afro beat with now vocals fully rooled out that renders Sheikha’s poetry of love.

 

The lyrics are concise and precise, blooming into the deeply heartfelt render of one in love and wants nothing than to keep the love and the  loved due the realization of how difficult getting  love is which for her has been sheer luck thus the need to keep it by her side without letting go. The song which has been rendered in easy and memorable Swahili poetic style goes: ‘Kukupata bahati/Kukuacha sitaki tena/Sitaki tena/Nataka nitulie nawe(Getting you was luck/I don’t want to leave you/Ever/I want to stay with you..”.The song also acknowledges and celebrates the unique features of the loved one described as having eyes like the flowers and a love so sweet that become the magnetic force that binds the voice in the song in reverence, acceptance and submnission to the love he/she feels for the one being celebrated in the song, that is, ‘Macho yako kama maua/sura yako yaniua/mapenzi yako tamu kama halua”.The voice affirms her commitment in the relationship with a promise of ever being just and fair in their love without anxiety of betraying their union. This is captured in the lines: ‘Si unajua navokuepnda/si unajua sitokutenda/Si unajua/Si unajua”These lines have been delivered in a regular repetitive structure that emphasizes the persona urgent need to instill confidence, assurance and security in the loved on and the relationship as a whole for stability, satisfaction and harmony. The inconspicuous antiphonal feature of the male voice that weaves into the song providing a short response at unique points in the entire stretch of the song adds to its unique flavor and immediate resolution to the  song’s outstanding message as it provides assurance that the loved one is in agreement with the stated needs in the song.

The song is a piece worth betting every dime on due to its beauty and smoothness from the firm balance of its fused elements  that entail the moderate up-beat tempo of its Afro beat and the inclusion of the techno and trance qualities of its melodies that is common of the Euro Disco dance hall music. Its lyrics that are easy to grasp the gist of the proclamation and are short and measured to enhance rhythm in the song add to the general artistic construct of the song thus one get Afro-fusion delivery of a superb soft and quite interesting dance hall piece that one cannot resist dancing to and/or listening to.

The composition of the soundtrack has been done by Tribe Records which simply tells a promising tale of how diverse, talented and deep is the appreciation of our local music makers for amazing sounds. It is an inter-continental phenomenon with deep cross cultural bias creatively put together that is easy to  fail to notice since they have been  recrafted into a unique East African melody.

The video done  byPanorama Pictures is another piece of its. In as much as the dance scenes have not been given a heavy choreography investment in harmony and uniqueness of the dance styles and moves(like the beach scene), and that Sheikha is not much of a super dancer as such, compensations have been made. The scenes are simple telling the story of a girl taken over by true love and the need to keep and preserve and the a little wild dance scenes gives it a feel of unsophistication which is the essence of the call of the song, a simple love devoid of many entanglements. The village setting of the song away from glamour of the exotic creates aura of the simple just as the song’s voice wants it to be. The setting also authenticates the song a s a local East African song despite bearing elements that may make it sound a little foreign and extracted from the confines of the East African cultural influences.

The song and the video are quite interesting but there is a distraction that can easily take you away from enjoying the richness of composition the song. It is Sheikha.The songstress is a beauty. With an amazing voice. And singing talented. She fills all the other spaces in the song and its video that were beyond the reach of its makers and captivating voice and singing. Her attractiveness and soft spoken demeanor in the song takes the song to a new dimension. And the girl spits Swahili too!

The manner the song has been crafted makes it to be misleadingly a Bongo tune till you Google and you find that this is a Kenyan production by a Kenyan artist though with a heavy coastal bias. I had never had of Sheikha till I bumped onto the song on Youtube and skeptically listened to it.Sheikha or Mercy Wangari,a Qatar based Kenyan artist ,is not a stranger in the Kenya’s music scene but why her songs are yet to receive a wide airplay beyond the confines of Youtube and the small circle of her fans that love her music is a little disconcerting. It has been a matter of hours since I got to know her and already I have taken my hat off for Tribe Records, Panorama Pictures and this talented sassy diva how is ours to adore and celebrate.

Sheikha is undoubtedly one of the biggest East African and Kenyan music queens whose tenure in stardom has just started.I look forward to enjoy her Sheikha-reign and more culture-diverse productions from Tribe Records.

 It’s a 4 stars.
Follow the Youtube link below for you share of Sheikha's magic
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftXFXtsQFV0