Tuesday 24 March 2015

DRC artiste ‘finally home' in Kenya.Drive Hot News


 Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Victor Kasereka Basua alias Victor B arrived in Kenya for the first time in 2011.


He says he feels he is finally home in Kenya, only three years after he left for South Africa, where went to seek greener pastures.
Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Victor Kasereka Basua, alias Victor B, arrived in Kenya for the first time in 2011, with a mission to perform and sell R&B, a genre that wasn’t quite popular in his homeland.
He, however, gave in to his ambitions of recording quality music and videos and moved to South Africa for this.
But things didn’t go as he had hoped, as his efforts to sell his music in this part of the world hit a snag, forcing him to come back to the land that gave him a chance to record his first solo hit.
Victor B talks about his upcoming album, together with his latest hit “My Only Girl”, revealing his disappointments as a foreign artiste in South Africa.
Why exactly did you decide to come back, considering the fact that the music sector in South Africa is more advanced compared with here in Kenya?
There is no doubt that indeed the music sector in South Africa, especially when it comes to recording, is miles ahead not only compared with Kenya but the rest of Africa. But it is also a fact that it is difficult for a foreign artiste to market his work, especially if you are using a foreign language.
For me, things were even more complicated considering the fact that most of my songs are composed in Swahili, a language that is foreign to them. There is also the issue of foreign artistes being ignored to a level that you could have a nice song and even an excellent video, but that won’t guarantee you airplay in some of the local media.
Then does this mean that you are now settled here in Kenya or is this just a bridge to revive your career?
As I said earlier, I am finally home, especially (because) I sing using a language understood here. Also, I can say Kenya is strategically placed in the middle of the countries that I have interest in.
For instance, if I want to go home for a visit, I can easily do that. In case I maybe want to travel to Tanzania for a collaboration, then I won’t have to struggle, and it will take me a few hours if my mission is to record a video in South Africa.
How many songs do you have to your name as of now?
Believe it or not, I have composed over 120 songs, but I have managed to record and release only a handful, among them “Sunshine”, “Take You Away” and “My Only Girl”. For now, I am working on my first album, “My Music”, which consists of 14 songs, with six already recorded but not released yet. I plan to officially launch it between June and July this year through a concert.
Do you plan to work with Kenyan artistes?
Already I have plans to collaborate with a certain Ogopa artiste, whom I can’t reveal at the moment.

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