Tetu Shani feels like he’s at the tipping point of his career. He’s finally at the edge of self-expression that’s beyond any commercial or societal expectations. 

For this multi-award winning Afropop, Indie rock singer, the pandemic was more than a tremor that disrupted his idea of normalcy. If anything, it was a seismic shift that changed his artistry forever. As the string of curfews and lockdowns decimated his performance income stream, he contracted covid and continued to battle symptoms that mercilessly subdued his creative abilities. 

Yet, despite this turbulent start to the year, Tetu’s ambition and passion for creative empowerment boasts a relentless prowess. Tetu’s music was recently handpicked to grace the Netflix’’s Blood and Water soundtrack. Aside from personal projects, he continues to carve out spaces for alternative artists like himself through personal playlists which currently amass a following that’s well into the thousands. His achievements don’t feel like individual wins. When Tetu wins, every alternative artist carving out their place in Nairobi is embraced with belonging.

We spoke about what spiritually moved him during the pandemic and why the trajectory of his career is headed in the best direction possible. Our conversation revealed why mind over matter may just be the new ‘mainstream’.

Tell us the inspiration behind your new single ‘Survive’

‘Survive’ is basically the story of my journey during this pandemic to stay alive emotionally, physically and spiritually. The body of work that I’m releasing right now is probably the most personal music I’ve written. When you think about Asante Sana which was written right when everything shut down, I tried to capture those sentiments of hopelessness. Furukazi was my response to the fact that there was no safety net for Kenyan artists to rely on during the pandemic. Survive extends that my narrative arc throughout the pandemic and the toll that hopelessness and financial instability took on my mental health. I experienced waves of futility where I started questioning my impact in this industry and what actually matters in life. 

As the song starts, you hear me narrate “straight from the marrow, from inside my bones, straight as an arrow flying to the moon” which is my ego psyching myself up. I'm just like, “Listen, I'm legitimate, I just don't quit”. That's almost me talking to the audience and being like, Guys look, like, legit, like, this isn't just, I'm not just a good artist, like I'm, I'm creating some incredible, timeless art that is sure to stand the test of longevity. 

Did the pandemic directly impact your creative processes?

I shared this on twitter, but for the readers who may not be aware, I contracted covid-19 a few months back. While I’ve recovered from the virus, I’m a long covid survivor which means that I’ve been experiencing the less ‘usual’ symptoms for longer than expected, particularly battling brain fog.

Brain fog feels like your consciousness is just drifting through space with no crash landing in sight. It sounds dramatic, but mostly because it is. I’d be talking to someone and I literally forget the subject of our conversation and I’m like “wait a minute, I’m usually conversational. I know how to articulate things” so that was really frustrating. It literally felt like there were missing files in my brains.

One day, I was playing guitar on my balcony and I forgot the lyrics to one of my songs. It felt like this scary epiphany where I began processing that this was the end of all that I’ve known to be as a singer-songwriter. It’s like a painter coming to terms with the fact they’ve forgotten how to paint. During that period of time, I just didn’t write, and I didn’t play much. I just took a step back from music and extended myself enough grace to heal. Once I felt better, I just jumped right back in.

What kind of ‘mental space’ are you in right now in terms of your musical sound?

I’m at a really good place right now. I’m finding my unique musical perspective which might throw some people off but I’m currently curating the best version of myself. My journey as a songwriter started with me writing good songs just about life and then figuring out how to translate that music into lyrics people could relate to. And then the pandemic hit and I realised that my figurative cup, which I’ve been using to fill, and uplift other people, was alarmingly empty. So I transitioned from a perspective of likeability, to self expression. Now, I’m making music that feels like me, instead of a general emotion that people relate to. 

Singer songwriters have this reputation of making deep, melancholic songs sung over an acoustic beat but I’m trying to break that mould. I wanna experiment with production and fast-paced beats coupled with deep, introspective lyrics. Kinda like how Outkast did with Hey Ya! When I listened to Survive, I thought out loud to myself, “Yo, this is fire”.

You’ve been pretty vocal about Spotify’s exclusion of alternative Kenyan artists in their playlisting. Why did you create the Alt. Kenya playlist and what did you hope to achieve?

I was so excited when Spotify eventually entered our markets.  I had never really connected with Apple Music for me because it feels like the gikomba of streaming platforms. It’s just like a lot of clothes and bales and no real support networks for the creators themselves. In terms of helping you promote your music and push it, Spotify has been head and shoulders above everyone. They’ve got their own video tutorials telling you how to distribute your music and articles from industry leaders. 

When I skimmed through the Spotify Kenya playlists, it was incredibly underwhelming. Some of the artists featured weren’t from Kenyan descent. For the Kenyan artists who did make it onto the playlists, most of them are household names that everyone already knows, which obscures the purpose of making a playlist and actually “putting listeners on”. 

I noted the missed opportunity and decided to make a playlist of my own dedicated to alternative upcoming artists who don’t benefit from visibility in the media. In a few words, Alt kenya is basically my favourite songs from my favourite artists within the genre of alternative music. The most rewarding feeling is some artists hitting me up and letting me know that their streams have jumped significantly because of being featured on my playlist.

What can fans expect from you soon?

I’m dropping my debut album called Life Before the Apocalypse. It’s a pop punk album that pays homage to the sounds I listened to growing up, like Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Third Eye Blind. I recorded it almost three years ago. For reasons of not being able to pay it off, it’s been on my hard drive for like three years. 

The working title was Heartbreak Amnesia but I changed it because when I listen to the album now with hindsight, it reminds me of a simpler version of myself at a different moment in time. Hopefully, it’ll be nostalgic and people will be able to connect with it.