KENYA: H_Art the Band Share their Rags to Riches Story and Why Julie Gichuru Paid them 50,000 For Just One Song

Some would find H_Art the Band’s rise to fame inspiring and to others a revelation even. From casual street performers, talented but didn’t seem to be gaining ground as fast as they should have been, but that all changed after one fateful encounter with perhaps the most unlikely person.

Recently the band decided to reveal the person who changed their fortunes, and it was none other than former Citizen TV host Julie Gichuru.

Julie first got acquainted to the band at Fatuma’s Voice, an interactive forum that expresses hope through art, poetry and music, back in 2013. Impressed by their performance, she invited them to at her wedding anniversary.

“We had never performed anywhere else other than in the streets So, this was going to be a big event to us. We went around our neighborhood and borrowed a few clothes here and there just to look presentable plus called on our band members to escort us just in case. On reaching the venue, we could not believe our eyes the party was HuGE - we felt under-dressed but we were there already so we put our chins up,” they wrote.

But that was not the end, they had to perform after a seasoned Kidum who performed for almost two hours, a tough act to follow by all means.

“Kidum was first on stage *Oh God Why??? *... Time was moving fast, it was midnight all of a sudden & we started having doubts as to if we will get a chance to perform. We Started Panicking the Host Was nowhere to be seen. We really wanted a chance to perform before the guests started leaving.

“After minutes of panic, we got a chance to play one…we poured our hearts on the stage that night with just that one song ‘Uliza Kiatu’. From the young to the aged we could see them dance and enjoy…We were so proud of ourselves. After stepping offstage, she paid us a whopping 50,000 in cash. We couldn’t believe it…We had never seen such an amount of money in our Life so, we called the host aside and requested her to call for us a taxi *psst we were Rich Now* Imagine instead of calling a Taxi, she called her driver and we were driven to town with a RANGE ROVER *you understand why it is in Caps yes??? *

“The story doesn't end there. We get to town like bosses but how do we get home now. We have never been in hold of such an amount. We are paranoid. We decide to all go to one place and sleep there just for security reasons,” they added.

Their message, hard work pays and their belief that better days are coming. And it is of no doubt the band are some of the hardest workers in Kenya’s music industry and this is seen through their music.

And going by the growth they’ve had in their music so far, it’s clear only bigger things are coming.