Wambura Mitaru
Nairobi, Nairobi Area, Kenya | Established. Jan 01, 2013 | SELF
Music
Press
....The Berklee community was thrilled last September during a unique show held atop the College’s nearly-completed 16-storey tower, featuring Mitaru and her band, complete with protective helmets, singing and playing violins.
In the short span of two years, this impressive trio has gained fame in Boston, and also represented Berklee at the Close Encounters Festival in Helsinki, Finland. They also performed at the renowned JFC Jazz Club in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Theirs is music that doesn’t fit into a genre but rather is a hybrid sound, combining funk, jazz, classical influences. It is difficult to fit the music in any box because as Mitaru explains “people like to call it fusion but I call it the music that comes out of my mouth.”
She has arranged rhythms and melodies, especially Malian, Senegalese, Indian and the music of different Kenyan cultures. Her Berklee training offers an opportunity to share professional knowledge with some of Kenya’s upcoming musicians from violinists to vocalists.
Mitaru plans to pursue a master’s degree after Berklee “so that I may teach those who may never make it to such an institution” - Business Daily
... Kenyan songstress Wambura Mitaru, who through her blend of traditional African sounds and upbeat soul inherits the legacy of singer-songwriters like Somi and Angélique Kidjo. - Yale News
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Many would describe Berklee Alum, Wambura Mitaru as fluid, her music an eclectic mix of funk, soul, R'n'B, jazz, hip-hop, with a unique African touch. Young and passionate, Wambura is a singer and song-writer from Nairobi, Kenya.
It all started in high school where she delved deeply into the world of classical music, a journey that eventually led her to attending the Kenya Conservatoire of Music.
In 2011 Wambura joined Berklee College of Music, where she formed The Wambura Mitaru Synergy shortly. Soon enough, the band became a sensation, performing at the Boston Arts Festival in the summer of 2012. The group of talented musicians have also performed internationally, and have been featured in events including Close Encounters Festival in Helsinki, Finland, and St. Petersburg, Russia (Spring, 2013). Wambura has also held several concerts in Nairobi, Kenya.
After the release of her first single, "Work in Progress" on September 4th 2013 , Wambura has gained an even wider fan base across the world, especially within her home-country, Kenya.
Currently Wambura is based in the US, where she enjoys spending her time writing, hiking, dancing and laughing. To her, "Music is like laughter; you've got to share it!"
Band Members
Links
