Cizarina
Nairobi, Nairobi Area, Kenya | Established. Jan 01, 2004 | SELF
Music
Press
Review
Saturday, November 8, 2003
By DAN TENGO
After an eight-month course at Real Music School in Nairobi, where they graduated with certificates in contemporary music, eight singers, aged between 19 and 23, stood out during live auditions conducted in November last year by a visiting official from Berklee. To earn a scholarship at Berklee College of Music, one must have a high level of musicianship and sense of style and artistry. The scholarships are primarily based on the applicant's performance on their principal instrument, although composition and song writing abilities are also taken into consideration.
Like Wainaina, the eight students have always been musicians from childhood.
"When I was about 7, my sister told me that Michael Jackson started singing at the age of 5, and I remember thinking of breaking that record in my own little ways," says Cizarina. She thought Michael Jackson actually started composing songs at the age of 5. So she composed her first song when she was seven-and-a-half years old. From that time, she realised that she could compose anything she wanted, musically speaking. "I am glad to have learnt that lesson early – how to be myself as I scale the ladders in the music world," says Cizarina. She borrowed her elder sisters' books and read musical notes even before learning to play the recorder at school. "One day my mother brought home a small keyboard, and that began a revolution for me," recalls Wanyama. She started off by playing chords before she could master the essence of harmony in any musical piece. When she joined Kenya High School, her talent shone through and she was named the chapel pianist, a role that gave her unfettered access to the school's music room and afforded her the opportunity to try out the piano and join the school choir. Wanyama was itching to complete her secondary studies so that she could pursue a career in music. Which is why she joined the Real Music School, a renowned college that boasts 18 years of excellence in teaching contemporary music.
"My experience at the school was splendid. For once, everybody around me breathed music, day in, day out, and that encouraged me," says Wanyama. She brushed up her musical skills at the college and when the auditions for the scholarship came, her big break arrived. She has now set her sight on making a mark at Berklee.
- Saturday Nation
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
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Bio
EDM, pop/gospel, singer/songwriter and soulful worshipper Cizarina is a dynamic vocalist that touches the heart of her listeners with her deep spiritual and inspirational lyrics. Laced with lush, brassy vocal expressions and sweet melodies, the songwriter portrays the imprint of God’s word in song. She plays the piano and writes breath-taking ballads. Having started out writing songs at age 7, she had not a single clue who would sing them, or how they would sound; but after high school, she knew she could do it because she had great inspiration and ideas to her songs. She started out making tracks using the church keyboard and it's at that time that she really started arranging vocals for her songs. She has written a few hundred songs to date and is still writing. Her inspiration is life, reality, God. She writes her songs based on experiences she's been through, what others are going through, her thoughts, her beliefs, her observations, her feelings, expectations, and her dreams. Her songs are edgy, some are classic ballads that will never fade away. She has done back up vocals for various local artists including Agu Uche, David Essengo, Jacky B, etc. She sings in the church choir, and has recorded 4 albums with them and took lead vocals for some of the songs. She produced some songs with her friends before, and still co-produces her music. They were called Shekinah, but the group (and band) didn't last long. Her songs give hope to the hopeless and dreams to those in despair. It’s God’s hope to a depressed and dying world.
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