Mad Ice
Helsinki, Central Finland, Finland | INDIE
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Have you ever heard of Mad Ice? This world music artist and performer, singing mostly in Swahili, is famous in East-Africa and... Finland!
Supported by his Finnish wife Niina, Mad Ice aka Ahmed Kakoyi, is one of the stars of the local and Scandinavian ‘world music scene’. His concerts are well-visited and his CD’s and EP’s are sold at major digital stores like iTunes. On April 2nd Mad Ice is about to launch his new album, ‘Maisha’, at a special concert in Helsinki. Because, even though Finland is mostly a rock oriented country, there are plenty of people that love the rhythm and the African vibes in Mad Ice’s music.
Piracy a threat to African artists
Mad Ice: “On pirate street markets and in the small illegal music stores of Dar es Salaam and Kampala, my music is among the most copied. I guess I will have to take that as a compliment.” But piracy is part of the reason why Mad Ice decided to try his luck in Europe. In short: life for African artists is not easy. In Africa artists cannot depend only on selling music, they need to perform to make a living. Mad Ice explains how he decided to try his luck in Finland. “I was born in Uganda but as a young boy I spent a couple of years in Tanzania. There my career as a singer really started. Since I sing mostly in Swahili, the majority has always taken me as a Tanzanian artist. In 2004 I was invited to Finland by a Finnish producer Miikka ‘Mwamba’ Kari who had earlier produced my debut album ‘Baby Gal’ in 2003. I signed a three-year contract with a Finnish label and in 2006 I decided to shift my base here permanently. And I like it here.” Mad Ice has taken root in Finland, where he and his wife Niina now have two kids.
Fourth album
After ‘Baby Gal’ (2003), ‘Mad Ice’ (2005) and ‘Maneno’ (2007), 2011 will be the year of ‘Maisha’. On Mad Ice’s website, fans can find out about his next shows, read about his life and watch concert videos. “I want to invite all Club Africa members to visit my iTunes page and download the music. Also I hope they all enjoy my clip of ‘Te Amo’, the first single of the new album.”
“They want me to come home”
Mad Ice regularly visits East Africa to perform and visit his family. “They miss me there, they want me to come home. Fortunately, it is their language that I sing in. I have not changed much, the sound may be more polished and western – call it Afro with a western touch – than it was before I left for Finland. But the lyrics of the songs and the languages are the same, so are the topics.” Mad Ice gives us the lyrics of his ‘Te amo’ song. The words may be Swahili, but his message appeals to all people. “Moyo wangu uko kwako wee, Mawazo yote yako kwako wee”, it starts, which literally translates into “My heart is with you, my thoughts are all about you.”
Have you ever seen Mad Ice perform live? Please tell us what you thought in the comments below! - KLM Flying Blue Club Africa
Discography
Maisha EP 2011
Maneno album 2007
Mad Ice album 2005
Baby Gal album 2003
Photos
Bio
Singer-songwriter Mad Ice is extremely charismatic and talented artist and hugely appreciated live performer. Based in Europe, Helsinki Finland he has gained recognition on the world music scene with his fabulous soulful voice and touching live performances. With love being the main message conveyed on the lyrical side of his compositions, Mad Ice's music is a unique fusion of melancholic african melodies with a touch of soul...call it Afro-soul.
Not only is Mad Ice a talented writer but a great performer as well. Listening to his warm and powerful voice is an experience, whether you understand the language or not...Its like being on a transcending journey to the unknown. Appreciated by any audience, Mad Ice performs regularly with his band on Jazz and World, even on Pop and Rock stages. Being recognized as one of the greatest stars in East Africa, his music is year after year on playlists not only on African but also on international radio stations.
ROOTS
Born in Uganda 1980, Ahmed.M.Kakoyi best known for his stage name Mad Ice started his career way back in 1998 as a young performer on various talent shows and singing covers in hotels but at the same time writing his own songs. Influenced mostly by mid 90s Caribbean sounds of Chaka demus & pliers, Shaggy and the likes, this affected a lot on Mad Ice's earlier style which can be heard on his debut album Baby Gal.
Fusing different musical styles has been a big part in the making of Mad Ice's music from the very beginning. The Caribbean sounds were more a street influence, at home Mad Ice listened to country, soft rock and South African music. In search for true inspiration Mad Ice landed on Seal, Tracy Chapman, Khaja nin, and Lokua Kanza's music... I guess this explains the diversity of the singer we see today.
BABY GAL [2003 Kokwa Records, Tanzania]
By the end of 2002 Mad Ice teamed up with producer Miikka Mwamba Kari and started working on his debut album in Dar es salaam,Tanzania. Released in 2003 the album title song Baby gal became one of the biggest #1 hit song of all times in East Africa staying on top of the charts for months on many radio stations in the region. This led to Mad Ice's long and successful career locally and internationally.
MAD ICE [2005 Mwamba Records/Edel Records, Finland]
After visiting Finland in 2004, Mad Ice secured a record deal with a Finnish record label and in 2005 the label released his first album to the European market in Finland.
MANENO [2007 Recordhouse/MadStylee.com, Finland]
Available on all major online stores worldwide incl. Itunes, MANENO was released in 2007 featuring songs like Wange #1 hit single 2005 -2006 Tanzania & Uganda, Malaika loved Afro-groove version of one of the most known African traditional songs and Nionyeshe njia single that made Mad Ice to be recognized also as a talented songwriter in the International Songwriting Competition USA 2007, when the song went through to the semifinals in the world music category.
MAISHA EP [2011 Recordhouse Music, Finland]
Maisha A swahili word for life!
Created in simple words and beautiful melancholic African melodies incorporated with soul, this is Mad Ice's fourth major release. In Maisha Mad Ice takes us through a tremendous journey familiar to so many, from life hardships with Maisha, through greatest love with Te Amo, parenting with Nisikilize to relationship difficulties as heard in Mapenzi Sumu. With Maisha EP Mad Ice presents himself more and more as an Afro-soul artist.
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