Apple Music has announced that Ssaru is its new Up Next artist to be featured in its development program in East Africa.
The Kenyan R&B-soul singer-songwriter, real name is Sylvia Saru, said of the opportunity, “I’m so happy to be Apple Music’s Up Next Local artist for East Africa,” she tells Apple Music.
“Our music is taking over and is ready to shine across the globe. East Africa to the world!”
Born in Maungu, Taita Taveta County, in the coastal region of Kenya, and raised in Nairobi from an early age, Ssaru’s talent for writing catchy lyrics and tenacity to make a career in music work no matter what was propelled by her decision to upload her DIY freestyle videos to social media.
Building a solid fanbase in Kenya through her videos and sharp lyrics, Ssaru released her debut single“Nyama” in 2019 which was received with open arms from the hip hop and Gengetone community–the latter being a genre that mixes rap with reggaeton and dancehall to create a high-energy, dance-ready sound.
Today, Ssaru is widely regarded as the Queen of Gengetone, a tip of the hat to her resilience and success in a mostly male-dominated genre.
Ssaru has become known for her honest, hard-hitting lyrics that are on full display in her latest single“Girl Power Freestyle”(2024) feat Joefes, released independently and available to stream on Apple Music, that tackles the latest surge of femicide in Kenya head-on and pulls no punches.
As the next Up Next act to be spotlighted in East Africa after Maya Amolo, Ssaru will be featured across Apple Music’s Up Next playlist.
The curated Up Next playlist features a dynamic class of new and emerging artists, thoughtfully hand-picked by Apple Music editors from around the world.
The playlist is genre-agnostic and represents a line-up of artists our global editors are passionate about and eager to expose to a larger audience.
KBC Digital
