Tugo lona nindo

Zippy Okoth: I love to dance

By Cathy Ochung’

Beautiful and talented, the diva stands out with her rich contralto and lively performance.

The first thing that strikes you about Zippy Okoth is her smile. The 24-year-old Afro fusion and benga musician launched her debut album, Tugo Lona Nindo, at Alliance Francoise two weeks ago."I love to sing songs that make me dance," she says. The title of the album, which loosely translates to ‘playing is more exciting than sleeping’, seems to reflect the diva’s personality.

Zippy OkothWhile performing on stage, Zippy is no slouch when it comes to shaking it. Her energetic dancing provides a colourful accompaniment to her music. During the launch, she captivated the audience with her contralto. "It was very encouraging to see the crowd warming up to my music and going with the flow," says Zippy on her first live performance.

The 10-track album comprises of songs that are a blend of benga, ohangla and zouk. Most are in her mother tongue — Dholou. Zippy says she enjoys speaking and singing in Dholou.

"It reminds me of the good old days when, as children, we would play from the sunrise to sunset, but still we would not have had enough and wanted to play more, with not a care in the world," she says of her album.

Developed interest in music at a tender age She sings about love and social issues such as rape and HIV/Aids. A finalist at last year’s ‘Spotlight on Kenyan Music’ show, Zippy hardly suffers from stage fright, but she admits to being apprehensive in front of crowds. Earlier this year, she was one of local performers who performed during the eve of International Women’s Day celebrations, dubbed the ‘Shangilia Festival’ at Club Afrique.

Zippy recalls developing an interest in music from a tender age. "I knew I could sing, but my deep voice, which, surprisingly has turned out to be a crowd puller, was what held me back."

As a result, while in high school and at Maseno University -- where she graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Drama and Theatre —- she took up poem recitation and acting, but shied away from singing.

While at Maseno, a lecturer convinced her to try her hand at singing and suggested she join the college band, where she eventually became the lead female vocalist. The band performed at various functions within and without the campus. Zippy now says she owes her confidence as a musician to the band.

Working on two manuscripts

In 2006, a friend told her of the annual ‘Spotlight on Kenyan Music’ competition. She entered with two original compositions as required of every participant and made it making it to the top 10 out of a total of 60 entrants. "This encouraged me to put more effort into my music and consequently released my album," says the songstress.

The eldest in a family of seven says she got her talent from her parents, both of whom enjoy music and run a club in Kisumu.

Her father, a lawyer by profession, had different plans for his daughter. "He wanted me to pursue a career in Law and that is why I did not let either of them know my course choices until they had to see my transcripts."

Zippy has also written and directed a number of plays and poems that have been performed by schools and youth theatre groups across the country. She hopes to one day direct and produce a movie.

She is currently working on two manuscripts: On The Rocks — a book on relationships — and Soul Fabrics — an inspirational book on sex and career. Zippy is also pursuing her postgraduate degree on Gender and Development at the Nairobi University. She is also a facilitator at a rehabilitation centre that uses drama as a healing tool.

"Together with a friend, we use drama to provoke the creative part of individuals with psychiatric problems to help them realise their inner self," explains Zippy.

Zippy describes herself as a cheerful artist with a craze for dance whose shows are full of life and can be enjoyed by people of all ages. She says she is emotional about her songs.

Her music has been reviewed on two BBC radio shows — the BBC mid morning show and Network Africa BBC World