BLINKY BILL’S RELISHING BUSHFIRE FESTIVAL
BILL SELLANGA or Blinky Bill (as he is better known) is one of Kenya’s most lauded artists. His popularity stems from how he manages to merge sounds with experiences and create music that can quite literally be the life of the party, or a lament so serious it could be the soundtrack to a revolution.
When I speak to the musician, he’s in Washington, and we struggle with our connection. Eventually, we decide to just muscle on with the interview.
Our first stop, in what turns out to be an intriguing exchange, is the title of his album, Everyone’s Just Winging It and Other Fly Tales. Among the praises for this album being the perfect way to describe contemporary Kenya sonically, there’s also the spontaneous and rich collaborations with artists such as Sampa the Great, Petite Noir, Nneka, as well as with Kenyan personalities such as Muthoni Drummer Queen, and Sage.
He says the title was a contemplation, an observation of life if you will.
“It’s just an observation of life …’cause the album was kind of like a mini-biography for me.
“It felt like in living, I don’t know if everyone has a concrete grasp of how to live.”
Upon listening to the album, it’s not difficult to imagine this state of contemplation that he went through while creating it.
On the 12 tracks, there are songs like Showdown, that features MVROE and Kiwango, and is characterised by an almost pulsating beat that you can see yourself getting down to, and ones like Mungu Halali, a song that oozes the spirit of optimism and thanksgiving.
Six months after its release, he says he’s happy that it’s reaching people in the different parts of Africa.
“It’s been really great. A lot of people have heard the music. A lot of people, in different places, have experienced the music.
“You will find the music playing in different places like Lagos. It’s finding it’s way to all of these different places, so I am excited about that.
In attempting to describe his sound, a friend of his said it sounds like Nairobi-bounce. Bill liked the tag. It’s stuck since then.
When quizzed on whether it would still be accurate to describe his music in this manner he says:
“I think this is an appropriate name for it.
But also it’s similar to what Nairobi is like because Nairobi is multicultural. Nairobi has different feels and sounds, so I am happy with the name for now.”
Bill will be performing at the MTN Bushfire Festival, which takes place at the weekend in Eswatini.
In his set at the festival, he says lovers of his music should expect a mixture of the old and the new.
“I will play a lot of my new project, some classics from my older projects. It’s going to be a fun show.I’m particularly excited about playing, seeing the country, because I literally don’t know much about the country, so I want to learn more about the country,” he says. ■ MTN Bushfire Festival takes place from May 24 to May 26 in Swaziland. Visit the festival’s website for more useful information. ■ Blinky Bill’s Everyone’s Just Winging It and Other Fly Tales is available in all reputable streaming platforms.