KENYAN FEMALE ARTISTS AND THE STRUGGLE TO MAKE IT

Written by Edwin Agesa on Wednesday, 5 March 2025.

Kenyan female artists have really struggled to make it into the mainstream music industry due to a myriad of factors. The few that have made it and lived to tell the story have told of tales that new artists would never want to experience.

Sexual exploitation has always been the number one point of reference when these artists have spoken about their experiences. The struggle to get through to opportunities have been filled by gatekeepers who have asked sex in exchange.

Lack of training and expertise in their areas has also costed most of them who failed to understand the intricacies of the music industry. The lack of enough information on the business of music has led to most of them agreeing contracts and making decisions that have come to haunt them later in life.

The music industry has been thought of as a dark place and the experiences that most females artists go through especially on the secular side dim hopes of new artists venturing into the craft.

The decisions that most of them make later in life of transitioning into gospel artists has not been what they expect. The gospel industry might be thought of as a good option but it has had its struggles too.

The Kenyan industry and its lack of professionalism is a major problem in bridging the gap between the number of male artists to females artists ratio. Right now we are seeing the likes of Dyana Cods and Femi One doing really well and its an encouragement to others. However, we need more of the likes of Njerae who’s already going international with big deals following up.