Kenyan-born singer, songwriter and producer has released the first episode of a documentary detailing her work in music for the past 20 years.
The series, distributed on her YouTube channel, is meant to be a “self-reflection” but also a guide for upcoming creatives.
“This project is a reflection of my personal experiences navigating the music industry over the past 20 years,” Victoria said of the project. “ Some of the moments discussed are deeply personal and shaped how I grew as an artist and songwriter.”
The first episode, which is 7 minutes long, details her upbringing within a Christian family and how that inspired her to do music.
“It was an interesting upbringing because my parents are ministers. They’re pastors. My dad is definitely the musical muscle of the family. At home, we heard only gospel music,” she says. “So, I guess I can kind of say my first official introduction into the music industry was when I was 16 years old. I came with that ambition.”
However, once she had ventured into the industry, she realised it was going to be different for her. In the episode, she also details how she lost several royalty opportunities and credit on a song she calls “Just Dance.”
“I ended up meeting some people who worked very closely with Akon. They were like, “Yo, we’re looking for songwriters. We’re looking for people who know how to write songs, and we want to place these songs onto artists that have record deals and budgets so that we can sell them and place them and you know the songs can become much bigger than if you were to
just release them yourself as a nobody.
“I was able to put together my first songwriting demo, which consisted of about five songs. And one of the songs on that project on that demo was called Just Dance. And the chorus was like, ‘So just dance. So just dance…about maybe four or five months later, I’m hearing this huge breakout single from this pop girl out of nowhere called “Just Dance””.
Kimani is a celebrated entertainer known for her signature blend of Afropop and R&B. Some of her projects have carved out a groundbreaking path in the African music industry by collaborating with top-tier local and international artists, leading major global brand campaigns, including a campaign she did with Shein, and redefining what’s possible for Kenyan talent on the world stage. Kimani was also once hailed by the Grammy Recording Academy as “Kenya’s Best Kept Secret.”
New episodes will continue to stream on Victoria Kimani’s YouTube.
