Award-winning artist Nikita Kering’ has opened up about her experience with bullying during her school years.
The singer and songwriter was speaking during a recent interview alongside her mother Ann Kering’, where they sat for an “honest discussion” about her childhood, sacrifices and her gratitude.
Speaking about her early years in school, Nikita said she didn’t know at the time that it was jealousy that was fueling what she called “bullying.”
“I was bullied so much, even by the teachers, because they didn’t really like what I was doing, and now I realise it was jealousy,” Nikita said. “I generally thought there was something wrong with me.”
Explaining the situation, the “Ex” singer said she had been very confident as a child.
“I was so shamelessly confident, and I think that was something that either would intimidate people so maybe that also made people feel bad about themselves,” she said. “I was always the first volunteer for artistic projects, and I was always the one who was singing.”
She also said that as a result of the bullying, she lost some of her confidence, and in her adulthood she has had to push herself into content creation.
“Even today, the concept of content creation is just one thing that I’ve had to really force myself to get into because I really think school killed my confidence in being who I am and being comfortable experimenting in front of everyone.”
Despite the singer’s growing pains, since making her debut at the tender age of 3 and making headlines in 2011 when she performed at gospel singer Emmy Kosgei’s album launch, Kering’ has built a critically acclaimed and decorated career.
After making her career debut in 2018 with ‘Happy With You ’, she went on to earn one of her first awards, Best New Artist at the Pulse Music Video Awards.
In recent years, she has made a name for herself beyond Kenyan borders, earning four AFRIMA awards, including Best Female Artist in Eastern Africa and Best R&B and Soul Artist, with another nomination this year, has performed at the BBC 1Xtra Afrobeats Concerto in London, appeared on Coke Studio Africa and featured in Netflix’s Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story campaign.
In 2022, she was selected as Spotify’s EQUAL Africa ambassador, making her the face of a diverse playlist from the continent.
In response, and towards the end of the interview, Nikita’s mother urged her to continue to be an inspiration to others.
“I want people to remember you as somebody who has really impacted the community, as somebody who has raised others who are even better than you, not fearing that somebody will outshine you,” Ann Kering’ said. “Light as many candles as you can. You’ll never lose your light because of lighting another candle. So light many others wherever you can.”
