Mari Gikaru

Mari is a singer-songwriter based in Nairobi, Kenya who does conscious music (music with a message that relates to everyday life experiences). His career spanning from 2009 has seen him grow to perform in some of Kenya's most prestigious venues and get recognition both locally and internationally. His music has reached audiences in over 100 countries worldwide cutting across continents from Africa to Europe, North America to South America, Asia to Australia. In 2020 alone, his music was streamed in 130 countries on major music streaming platforms globally. At the start of 2021, he was nominated in The Rampage Music Awards for 'Best Male Vocalist' and 'Entertainer of the Year' categories.

With his debut single 'Happy to be Yours' getting featured on Africa's popular 'Channel O' after release in 2012, Mari embarked on the journey to his debut E.P 'Let It Out EP'. Its 1st single, 'Matilda An Acoustic' released in 2014, saw him grow his career further, with one of the highlights being an interview feature on Zuku Entertainment's 'Raw Sessions' which popularly aired in the Eastern and Southern Africa regions. He went on to release the E.P. in 2015, whose success climaxed with one of the singles 'Break of Dawn' being selected as the soundtrack for M-net's 'Flowers & Bricks' movie.

The complete 16-track ‘Let It Out’ album was released in November 2018, with a 10-track version released on Boomplay in January of 2019. The release has proved to be a success with select singles from the album currently on rotation on several radio stations in different countries around the world including the US, UK, Canada, France, and Kenya, among others. A few of the songs have also been featured on several charts worldwide including the top 10 pop chart on Indie Rampage Radio, top 100 chart on Digital DJ Pool, and top 50 pop charts on Boomplay in Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire, and Guinea.

In the course of 2019, his efforts caught the eye of international music company, Rehegoo Music Group. Mari is currently working in conjunction with the company to reach wider audiences for his music. He has since released two singles ‘Duty Calls’ and ‘Beautiful Monster’ globally through Rehegoo Music. The songs have also been featured in several compilation albums released through the label.

With no releases of his own in 2020, Mari embarked on collaborative projects, featuring on four songs on Thomas Hype's album 'God's Son'. The album was released in October 2020. He also performed on the main stage at the annual ONGEA Eastern Africa Summit, arguably the region’s biggest music conference. As a strong advocate of keeping safe during the Covid-19 pandemic, Mari was among select artists chosen to perform at the “Together at Home” virtual concert, a Kenyan government initiative to create awareness of the spread of Covid-19. The production has been airing on local TV stations since June 2020. Mari is a member of the International Singer-Songwriters Association. He is also working and collaborating with several other international companies and organizations to grow his brand and propel his music career even further.

Mari's passion for music goes beyond being an artist. Having worked in the industry for over a decade, he is keen to share his experiences with other artists and help build their careers. To this end, Mari has written numerous articles on growing and advancing a music career that have been published by Music Gateway, an international music sync company. He is also one of three hosts on the Gatekeepers Musically Speaking Podcast, a weekly podcast that discusses issues affecting the music and entertainment industry.