His stage name is Swahili for “pepper” and yes, his voice is just as hot. Pilipili is an African artist intent on singing his way into the hearts of everyone, everywhere. With his uniquely recognizable pipes, the singer started off his career as a rapper performing all over Nairobi, Kenya in 2002. The response of the audiences at Nairobi landmarks; ‘F2’ (Florida 2000), The ClubHouse and Vybestar, where he performed convinced him that music was, indeed, his calling.

Famed Kenyan producer, Tedd Josiah, convinced him to switch his focus to singing rather than rapping and so, Pilipili the singer, was born. After countless performances at jam sessions in various clubs and underground talent shows in Kenya, he finally signed a contract with Josiah and produced a string of Swahili hits that topped the Kenyan charts and flooded the East African clubs. With a decidedly ‘coast-erian’ vibe to his music, Pilipili has thrilled partygoers with songs produced mostly by Kenyan greats like the Ogopa Deejays (Kings of the Kapuka genre), Chris Adwar and Clemo of Calif Records (King of the Genge genre).

The success of fellow singers and performers from West Africa on an international scale is a point of inspiration for the young singer, who is hoping to diversify his audience. Tour audiences abroad are often only Kenyan and Pilipili is “hoping to break that…” by embracing more creative originality in order to pull in other audiences. Audiences everywhere enjoy good music, he thinks, and a party is a party…no matter what or where.

His first releases, such as Mpaka Che (Till Morning), were more club-party themed, and with his next album, Pilipili plans to showcase his maturity as an artist by writing songs that appeal to an older, more mature audience. Some of his new songs, such as Tupendane (Let’s Love Each Other), carry a deep social message urging the pursuit of love, forgiveness and peace. A message that is timely for Kenyans, especially after the tribal clashes that rocked the country earlier this year after the December 2007 Presidential elections. Showcasing his diverse tastes in music, Pilipili has, on his ambitious wish-list of people he’d love to work with as collaborators, big names such as Eric Wainaina, Baba Maal, Akon, R. Kelly and the Queen herself, Miriam Makeba.

Despite his drive to diversify his audience, Pilipili is not ready to move to the United States as some of his musical peers have done. “That African element…” is vital to his success as a Swahili singer, giving him a unique musical niche in a world underexposed to his genre. Pilipili strives to stay true to himself as an artist, by championing originality and commitment. Working within a young but budding musical industry in Kenya, he hopes that upcoming artists follow a similar path of originality and commitment.

Though rampant music piracy affects his earnings, as it does for other artists and acts in East Africa, Pilipili believes that the government is starting to take a serious and active role in curbing the problem. The young singer is also an advocate for the provision of more airtime for local singers and performers in Kenya. Stating that foreign music often gets more play on local radio stations, Pilipili points out the effect of this policy on the growing music industry in Kenya. It has led to the stagnation of the local musical talent and it has provided a stumbling block to the growth of the industry in Kenya, as a whole.

Besides preparing for the debut of his sophomore album next month (July 2008), Pilipili is keen on nurturing upcoming acts within Kenya and is working on opening his own production house in the near future to build up a strong repertoire of new artists and acts.

A planned tour of the United States is in the works and audiences will soon get a chance to see how pepper-hot this young performer is, blazing an international path for East African music.