Grammy Award-winning and multiplatinum-selling R&B icon Anthony Hamilton returns with his first original single in two years “Back Together” [feat. Rick James].

Produced by renowned producer, 9th Wonder, the song has a simmering beat and strings wrap around Hamilton’s instantly recognizable delivery on the verses.

About the song, Hamilton commented, “Back Together’ pays homage to one of the greats. To me, it’s also about love and getting back together with someone you knew was special. In this time of COVID-19, it took on a new meaning too. It means getting back to our lives. Be close to those who are special to you. We all want to be close to anybody right now.” 

Listen here: https://bit.ly/3bzAA51  

In the new single, Anthony duets the late legend Rick James by way of a sample 9th Wonder dug out of the crates. Complemented by a classic James harmony, he carries the hook— “Why can’t we just get back together?”—to the heavens and back. Once again Anthony Hamilton reaffirms the healing power of R&B as he leads it in 2020.

New up and comer Keemlyf has signed with Taurus Musik, an African music powerhouse and one of the top record labels in Kenya.

Keemlyf debuts his residency at the label with the release of “Pita na Wewe” an Afro Beat and Afro-Pop track that has the makings of a number one single.

“Keemlyf is a hungry, hardworking and talented young artist. He has the makings of a number one Afro-Pop artiste in Africa!” said Mr Ikechukwu Anoke, Group MD and CEO at The Play Group and Taurus Musik, “Taurus Musik started has over the years been responsible for the growth of Artists in the East African region and Keemlyf is going to be a testament of our vision and mission. Welcome to the family Keemlyf”.

“He’s going to blow your minds. He sends me new tracks every day, and they’re all amazing!” said Issa Arafat A&R and Operations Manager at Taurus Musik, “Watch this space”.

Pita na wewe is an Afro-Pop track that is centered around a love interest that Keemlyf has. He explains exactly how she makes him feel and he is willing to do anything to “pita na wewe” which loosely translates to get into a relationship with her.

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Bongo crooner Alikiba has for the first time  publicly spoken about his alleged affair with radio presenter Diva The Bause.

This is after the presenter alleged that she had been in a secret affair with the 'Dodo' singer even after he got  married to his current wife Amina Khalef.

In an instagram post last month Diva posted ''Me and Ali, we came a long way since his return to the music world, and yes, both as friends and low-key lovers for a long time now. I have evidence to prove''

Diva decided to expose AliKiba after she was accused of being the one behind the move by  two former signees from his record label, King's Records to leave.

"This is just relationship drama and someone is truly hurt that a woman made a decision to move on. Everyone has a right to move on, and I'm sorry I hurt your feelings, but it is what it is. By the way, I ended things on 16/2/2020. I ended everything peacefully, just a woman who is fed up with on-and-off,  I always love and respect him and his talent, but I have a life to live." she said.

https://ommydalla.co.ke/gossip/item/1483-alikiba-s-secret-affair-with-presenter-exposed

In an interview with clouds fm yesterday (Friday), AliKiba refuted claims that they were dating stating they were only close friends.

“Mnamjua Diva jinsi alivyo anapenda kuapia kwa watu, kila mtu anamfanya ajisikie comfortable na mimi alinifanya nikajisikia comfortable sana na yeye , lakini hakuna kitu ambacho watu wanahisi kama imekuwa kimapenziila,mimi na yeye tuliwahi kuwa marafiki wazuri tu , Diva ni mtu mzuri sana na nawaomba watu wayaache hayo mambo yalivyo na hivi vitu ambavyo vimetokea waviache vilivyo pia watu waache kum critisize kwa hao yaliyotokea, She is a nice person''said Alikiba

Diva responded after the interview stating ''La familia. Peace out not gon put things into details watu wazima mtakuwa mmeelewa..#Growth #Maturity but gladly you've been very positive about me today on XXL interview. May God Bless you. das a true definition of a King''

Mombasa county gender based violence technical group composing of Sauti ya Wanawake Pwani, FIDA Kenya, Action Aid and Muhuri have today launched a toll free line which will be available for reporting Gender based violence cases within the county.

This is following the recent rise in cases of gender based violence countrywide which has been attributed to the curfew directive by the government due to the corona virus pandemic.

Speaking during the launch which took place at Tononoka grounds, County Director for Gender Services Esther Ingolo said the line will be open for calls immediately due to the urgency of the situation.

“The curfew has seen a big increase of gender based violence.Most victims are also unable to report the cases to the relevant offices. This has been a great challenge,” She said.

Also speaking at the launch Sauti ya Wanawake Pwani Director  Violet Mthiga has encouraged more victims to report using the availed line and stop suffering in silence behind closed doors.

“People need to come out and make the reports. We have taken this step to ensure that the affected people get the help that they need. After the report is made, we will avail a referral list to attend to the affected people, according to the reported cases,” she noted.

She also pointed out that more than 27 cases of gender based violence had been reported to the county offices in the month of April alone while many more hadn’t been reported to the offices due to the curfew and cessation of movement.

This initiative will help in dealing with cases of women who are also afraid of reporting cases of violence in order to protect their marriages and the while tackling the stigma behind broken marriages. This also by offering counseling for the affected marriages.

FIDA Mombasa has also promised to work hand in hand with the Technical working groups in Mombasa County to ensure that perpetrators of Gender based violence are held responsible for their crimes.

The Toll free line launched for the services are 0800720587 for direct calls and 21094 for sms.

Kenyan Queen of RnB Sanaipei Tande has broken the silence with a new single.

The new song is titled 'Mdaka Mdakiwa'.

''Mdaka Mdakiwa turns the tables and suggests approaching things from a different/new perspective. An out of the box kind of thinking where a lady can make her intentions known to a rather conservative man who reciprocates her feelings yet without emasculating him'' she explains.

Sana, as she is fondly referred to as has made a mark in the industry with hits singles like 'Amina', 'Simama Imara', 'Najuta' and collaborations such as ‘Kwaheri’ featuring Jua Cali, 'Najiuliza' ft Chege and Ray C  and ‘Chaguo La MoyChao’ by Otile Brown.

Watch her new video below..

Legendary Ugandan singer Juliana Kanyomozi has announced the birth of her second child.

The singer could not hide her joy as she took to social media to announce the birth of the child, a boy named Taj.

“IT’S A BOY!!!! Say hello to Taj 12-05-2020. We are thrilled!!. To God be the glory,’  she posted.

The 'Kalibatanya' singer  lost her son Keron Raphael Kabugo in 2014 though the case of the death was not published but it was reported that the son was asthmatic

This comes after a series of pregnancy rumours over the recent years which the singer always dismissed. She managed to keep her life private especially when it came to the pregnancy and love life.

Several Ugandan celebrities have since taken to social media to congratulate the singer.

''congs my dear @JulianaKanyomozi. I am so happy for you. You are such a strong woman you deserve all the happiness in the world'' posted Spice Diana.

On her part model Judith Heard posted ''Congratulations Akiki Wange''

''I'm dancing I dont even know why. Oh we love you congs. Thanks for being strong always '' posted Pallaso.

On her part Zari, posted ''Congrats Doll''

Celebrities and brands are the most dependent on each other when it comes to marketing strategies.

Most brands in the market space would readily look to partner with a well known figure with a huge following on social media and command in the society, this is to increase it's sales while also sponsoring the celebrity’s projects.

Tanzanian celebrities have of late been getting deals from leading brands in the East African market as brand ambassadors, this as compared to Kenyan celebrities.

The recent cases being for instance Diamond Platnumz as brand ambassador with a paint company, Harmonize as brand ambassador for a leading bank,in Tz, Wema Sepetu with a Juice manufacturing company and several others, without forgetting Diamond’s baby mama Hamisa also got a deal with a hair and extension company.

While there are several celebrities in Kenya who are also representatives of many products in the market place, many more still admit to it being a challenge.

According to veteran music producer Tedd Josiah, artists need to build themselves more as brands with a better outlook to life and morals so that they can attract the big brands towards them.

“Brands are afraid of putting their products against an artist’s face then next moment you have a scandalous situation with the artist and it affects your brand. They’ve also realized that artists don’t command as large influence as they used to think especially when it comes to people with buying power" said Josiah.

Adding "Our artists command numbers of people who are mostly in high school or fresh out of college and don’t have disposable income so if you tell the artists to help push your  brand and you are selling a jaguar car who will buy it?”.

Kenyan artist, Apesi, who has also been a brand ambassador for Pacho footwear shoes collection based in Kisumu city, admits to the gap between the two countries(Kenya and Tanzania).

“Companies (Brands) work with numbers. How many people follow you, your packaging as an artist in terms of how you put yourself and what you stand for to be able to become a brand ambassador? Kenya is still growing in terms of packaging and branding. Though there are some celebrities who are really doing it like Erick Omondi, Jalang’o and Akothee,” says Apesi.

Tanzanian night life and lifestyle generally puts them on top, says Coast based artist, Kitole Kenda

“Brands will partner up with an artist who increases their sales. Once an artist is able to increase sales of a product, then they become a hot cake and every other product will be chasing after you. Tanzanians artists have a very vibrant lifestyle and especially the night life with so much support from their own fans,” says Kitole Kenda.

Kitole Kenda’s new hit Haki iwe ngao, which was in collaboration with several other artists, was also sponsored by Sabaki waters. And they have also worked with the county government of Kilifi on other hits.

In addition to this, Coastal Films C.E.O Hassan Faisal has advised Kenyan celebrities to be mindful of their lifestyles as this is a huge determinant when trying to attract a brand.

“Most Kenyan Artists once they reach a certain level their Ego goes up.They even despise their fans. They have no touch with the common mwananchi. A company looking for endorsement needs an artist with a market penetration index.  Most artists’ lifestyles is reckless with drugs usage and alcoholism. No company needs that tainted image,” He says.

According to Grandpa records C.E.O Refigah, as much as some artists might be able to dominate headlines on the media, they are not necessarily productive enough for a brand to readily want to go into partnership with. Most of these are people who still need to up their game in order to gain full support from the corporates in Kenya.

“In Kenya, we have a good number of celebrities who have done major corporate endorsements, yet we have debebrities who are good at grabbing headlines for all the wrong reasons but with no value. Once you become the darling of the masses, the corporates will look for you, while the other big problem we have as an industry is we don’t have enough proper talent managers who are good when it comes to artists branding,” says Refigah.

While for music publicist, Agnes Nonsizi, most artists who work without a management  cannot well represent themselves in terms of  business especially in the boardroom. Therefore in order to win the endorsement, one needs to have a good manager who understands the business aspect of entertainment, so that both parties can have a win at the end of the day.

''These celebrities don’t have people who can represent them in boardrooms. Even if there are 'managers', they lack good managers who can represent them in the boardroom and have a business conversation, a manger should be able to have a business conversation"she told Ommy Dallah. 

Adding ''I have seen celebrities either under-quote or over-quote themselves or just not understanding what they are supposed to do, some end up getting the deal but they don’t deliver''

While on the same breath, most corporates are only conversant with faces which have been in the industry over time. So more artists and the entertainment scene need to invest more on their celebrities just like how other countries, Tanzania and Nigeria do.

Nonsizi charged ‘’I also don’t think that most brands out here are aware there are celebrities who would match their brands. Me and you could know the top celebrities because we deal with them everyday but these brands don’t know there are celebrities that exist and can do justice to their brands, they just know of the usual faces and that is why we see the same people in the little advertisements we see around.’

Some of the Kenyan artists who have managed to attract  attention of brands includes Akothee who has so far worked with several brands including Silverstone airline, Peptang Juice , Weston Hotel among other. Gospel singer Size 8 has also partnered with Softcare, while rapper King Kaka secured a deal with French cognac company Remy Martins as the brand ambassador for East Africa.

In tough times like this even the smallest form of help means so much to the less privileged and those facing financial challenges as the economic impact of coronavirus continues to bite.

Veteran Coast based artist Nyota Ndogo has decided to take it upon herself to help the underprivileged during this tough times of the pandemic. The artist is raising funds online.

She has so far managed to help three families in Voi, one of the beneficiaries is an elderly Woman who is paralysed and taking care of her 7 grandchildren, all her Children died.

''I was touched by the story of this elderly Woman and i must thank my fans who have been very supportive and it's through them that i managed to help her'' said Nyota.

Another beneficiary is an elderly man who is needy and living alone with no family in the outskirts of Voi town.

''Leo wakati nilikua najitaarisha kwenda gimba nilikua naenda kuwatembea watu wazima ambayo shida yao kubwa ni chakula.huyu mzee hana familia yoyote ndugu zake dada zake baba mama wote wamekufa amebaki yeye kama yeye .tumemkuta anachimba choo Malipo yake anapewa chakula cha siku yani soo sad.alisema kua yeye akipata chakula basi anauwezo wa kujipikia..amefurai sana na akasema Mungu awabariki sana wanaochanga'' she posted.

In an interview with Ommy Dallah, Nyota Ndogo revealed that some well wishers have already come out and want to construct a new house for the old man.

''I have received some request from some well wishers, they all want to construct a new house for the mzee which is very good. I encourage all those who can help the less privileged during this time to come out'' she noted.

Adding ''So tusirudishwe nyuma kwa maneno ya watu thanks to wote waliochanga waliotuma M pesa. wanaotaka kuendelea kuchanga number hizi. 0791 163 070''