KENYA: Why Is My Music Called Mood Music? - Tetu Shani

For a long time, musicians in Kenya have been told that other Kenyans will only listen to a particular kind of music. If it isn't what is deemed "mainstream" then the assumption is that everyone will hate it. There is a problem with this assumption however. It forgets that Kenyans are human beings and human beings have emotions and human beings don't just have two or three emotions but a vast spectrum of them.

You see..People don't just feel scared or angry or joyful. They feel envious, they feel joy mixed with a twinge of regret, They feel sweet sadness, they feel nostalgia, they feel desire mixed  with revenge and many other variations of emotion. And people are craving for artistic expression that can tap into as many of these nuanced emotions as possible. This is where my music comes in..

I believe that for every sliver on the spectrum of emotion, there is a song.

And this is the basis of my album Mood Music. Each song will ideally correspond to an emotion that I have felt at one point or another. My genre of music may change as I grow as an individual and musician but the heart of it will stay true to this vision.So far it has proven to be challenging but I know that ultimately it will be rewarding.

Source: Tetu Shani