Rosalie Akinyi goes by the stage name, The Only Rosa. Her musical star keeps on growing and that has led her to collaborate with Naiboi in a megahit titled, 'InSide'.
A few years ago her name was not on anyone's lips. Burna Boy came to Kenya for the Naija Night performance and Rosa was one of the acts to open the stage for the Nigerian artist. From then on, her talent was spotted and Flag 42 took her in to nurture her. This is proving successful as she has now released a new album and she has been on a tour to promote her music.
What is the secret to her success? Kenya Buzz had a chat with her and she shared with us her journey of music, her work and her future projects.
Kenya Buzz: How would you describe yourself to the world?
Rosa: I like talking and expressing my opinions. I'm also very creative. I've been a singer for 4 years now. I'm also a marketer, but specializing in music.
Kenya Buzz: What is your genre of music?  
Rosa: It's mainly urban pop with a bit of dancehall here and there.
Kenya Buzz: What or who inspires your music?
Rosa: I can't say there's a specific person but the dancehall genre gives me a lot of inspiration. The likes of Mr Vegas give a lot of material I can work with.
Kenya Buzz: Do you play any instruments?
Rosa: I play the guitar but I'm self-taught so I'm yet to fully learn how to play it really well. I've been playing for 6 years now.
Kenya Buzz: Your collaboration with Naiboi has had a really positive response. Were you expecting this? 
Rosa: I trusted the song was good but I had no idea it was going to resonate so well with the Kenyan audiences. The responses have been crazy good.
Kenya Buzz: Why did you decide to work with Naiboi and how did you put it together?
Rosa: Out of all Kenyan artists at the moment, aside from the extremely popular ones, Naiboi is creative based on the projects and the people he has worked with before. His experience in the industry also makes him understand what needs to be done. His writing tells you that. We met one random day and in like 4, 5 hours the song was done.
Kenya Buzz: You also blend your local language (Dholuo) in your songs which is very unique. How did you come up with that idea?   
Rosa: Yes. I did not want it to sound like any other normal song. So I wanted something that would feel uniquely Rosa.
Kenya Buzz: What was the idea behind your album, Original Copy?
Rosa: It's my first and only album at the moment and it's about me as an artist. It's like a 'copy' of different genres but 'originally' me. It's Rosa, trying out different things. The oxymoron of the title had some people confused at first as well. It has 12 songs.
Kenya Buzz: Is Rosa today different from Rosa 4 years ago?
Rosa: I feel different now, better actually. Before I used to do more of chakacha and Swahili songs and even listeners were like, that's not me. Now I have grown to understand my music and it reflects in my music because now I know what I can and cannot do. My voice has also really grown. Initially, I could answer the question of 'what is my sound?' but now it's different.
 Kenya Buzz: Do you get nervous before performing and how do you deal with that?
Rosa: I do. But it depends on the crowd for me. If I feel the crowd is not ready for my performance and my efforts at cheering them up don't work, I will have a hard time.  If the audience is responsive, you forget you're nervous.
Kenya Buzz: Your most memorable performance so far?
Rosa: Aside from live TV appearances, this one time I went to Kiambu High School and they received me so well. It was organized by The Insyder magazine and the kids were awesome. They danced, sang along to my songs and really appreciated my presence.
Kenya Buzz: If you had the chance to work alongside anyone, who would it be?
 Rosa: Kranium. Working with him would be a dream come true for me. His music flows so well, at times it's like he doesn't even struggle to 'get it'.
Kenya Buzz: Away from music, what do you do for fun?
Rosa: I work out, I sing and I eat. I take my work out very seriously because I think in my other life I would have been a bodybuilder lifting weights. I go to the gym 5 days a week for about 2 hours.
Kenya Buzz: Which series do you watch?
Rosa: I watch reality series mostly so my pick is Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Kenya Buzz: What should we expect from you this year?
Rosa: I just want to work with more people; more producers, more artistes and hopefully a couple of collaborations this year. I also want to grow myself as a brand.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctrYkrnDMNY

About The Author

Author
Omani Joy

Subscribe to our newsletters

  • Events
  • Movies
  • KenyaBuzz Kids
  • Whatsapp/Telegram

    The latest buzz and hottest trends in a bite-size daily message