The tag ‘award-winning artist’ is not one we employ with any real degree of seriousness when referring to many of our local acts. With the exception of the home-grown Groove and Kisima awards, and Kora awards for a select few, international plaudits are few. Yet even for the distinct benefits these local honors afford, all of them are conferred by regional bodies, continental at best. As such, the worldwide recognition that beckons for some of our top artists, the kind that ought to usher them onto international platforms and expose them to much larger audiences often lacks. Nothing screams “pick me up” like a CD tattooed “Grammy-award winning nominee”, or “World music award winner”.
      

Well, meet Wangeci Mbogo. She might not have won a Dove or a Grammy, but at the rate that she scoops up awards, who knows what her already bulging trophy cabinet will look like in years to come.
 
Here are but a few of the honors conferred on her to date.
• Newsome Awards 2006 (USA) – Best International Artist
• American Gospel Music Awards 2006 (USA) – Best Jazz / World CD
• Newsome Awards 2005 (USA) – Best International Artist Nominee
• NGH/Australian Gospel Music Awards 2004 – International Artist
• American Gospel Music Awards 2004 (USA) – International Artist of the year finalist
• The Gospel Awards 2004 USA – International Artist of the year finalist
• The Gospel Awards 2004 USA – International Artist Award Nominee
• 2004 Kisima Award nominee
• Groove Awards Nominee
 
So how did this humble local act get to this lofty position? The first thing she is quick to admit is she had to be ultra-focused when starting off her music career. After surveying the local scene and taking into account the various genres, she realized that there was a very real niche for her musical stylings. Being a praise and worship leader with an indigenous sound, her compositions would not only appeal to a local market that thrives on worship music, but would place her in a unique position to explore overseas markets as well.
 
So off she went, entering the studio and beginning work on her debut album. Released in 2004, it was titled Apewe Sifa and helmed by some of the industry’s finest producers. Chris “Phatstix” Adwar was behind six of its tracks, including the slow melodic Come Into Our Hearts, (one of the four singles to have a music video produced for it – others were Apewe Sifa, Yesu Jemedari and Shangwe). Robert “R-Kay” Kamanzi and Gideon Kimanzi each produced two tracks with Steve Gatitu driving the title cut and I’m Yours.
 
Never one to miss out on a good opportunity, she followed this up in readiness for the festive season with the very timely Christmas Imefika. Relying on the very same producers, she took a number of traditional carols and spruced them up a little with her introduction of English and Swahili lyrics, as well as spicing the album with a number of her very own compositions.
 
As the album began to gain serious momentum at home, she aggressively sort out foreign channels to promote her music. 2004 saw her nominated at the 2004 Gospel Awards - USA (International Artist Award), American Gospel Music Awards – USA (International Artist of the Year) as well as the NGH/Australian Gospel Music Awards – Australia (International Artist). She picked up the later award and was invited to attend and sing at the Canberra Music Happening Awards in August of the same year.
 
The last weekend of August 2006 was especially fruitful to her, as she picked up two American Awards within two days. First were the Newsome Awards where she scooped Best International Artist, and later the American Gospel Music Awards, where she got the prestigious Best Jazz / World CD award.

Since then she has also gone on to produce a wonderfully patriotic radio single “Kenya, Nchi Yangu, Nchi Yako”. This delightful track was driven by the need to enhance a sense of belonging amongst Kenyans, as well as counter what she perceived as the negativity that was engulfing the nation as a result of the reported massive financial scandals and political bickering. Sample a line or two of it:  

 
Wangeci is the first to admit that our local music has a place on the international stage, and challenges local artists to venture out much more and be more aggressive in marketing themselves.
 
She says:

 
Also,

 
She identifies this spirit of fear as being behind the reluctance to delve into the unknown world across the seas. Being the information age, she is adamant that her musical colleagues need to utilize every tool at their disposal to promote themselves. From the local media to international publications and very importantly the Internet, various avenues need to be thoroughly explored.
 
Wangeci is currently working on her third album, which she says will be in line with her previous releases and carry on in the Praise & Worship vein. Until then, she is looking forward to the release of her very first VCD compilation, due out later this year. Still you can look out for her corresponding VHS release, out now.

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