Kenyan singer-songwriter Maali has carved out a unique space for himself on Nairobi’s loved-up alt pop/Afro-indie scene. But the intentionality that’s propelled him for the past couple of years wasn’t a trait he always espoused from the start of his journey.
Though he’s been surrounded by music from the earliest memory, as happens when one grows up in a musical family, he initially had no interest in making a career out of it. But financial scarcity during his university years occasioned the need to monetize his talent, to be able to pay his way through the last stretch of his education. And along the way, he fell ever more in love with the grind. In way of commercial releases, he pronounced himself upon the scene in January of 2023 with his debut single “Stagger”, which was quite indicative of the musical mindspace he was in at the time.
In retrospect, there’s a noticeable artistic chasm between the track & the feel of his more current music. “Stagger” had a certain patchiness to it, plus the lowkey Naija-esque lyrical enunciation he went for, came off a bit gimmicky. Being his first output, though, there was a beginner’s charm to it all & you could pick up the promise in his effort. He’d go on to settle more into his craft with early dynamic collabs like “Dancing at Deja” ft Razorman & NGE-THE-PRODUCER.
Maali’s artistic acumen has only matured since then, as is evident on his debut EP “Mellow Dramatic” in May last year. The 3-track project had a commendable maturity & solidified identity about it, that he’d honed in the earlier course of the year.
Judging by the moves he’s taken so far & the support system around him, bro seems poised for a sublime career trajectory. Nifty!
