Prince Indah: How Ohangla singer's new release ended up # 1 trending on Youtube
And these tunes came from some of the finest singers from the Lake Region. The list is long. From Musa Juma to Suzanna Owiyo, we could easily run out of ink.
And they are not stopping. Every season we have at least something to listen to. And in this season we are in, Prince Indah, one of the fastest rising Luo musicians, has dropped something for his fans.
'Herawa Ni" (This Our Love).
One week into the release of this ballad, for the first time ever in Kenya, Luo song has been on number one trending on You Tube. This is a feat Prince Indah will take in his stride.
In the song, the Girwa Ni singer has impressively infused the Luo culture, with spectacular scenes of the eye-candy Kisumu terrains. He is in Lake Victoria fishing.
But that is not why 'Herawa Ni' has been trending for a week now. As always, Prince Indah's fans look forward to more creativity from the singer. They want even seeter tunes. Sweeter stuff every day.
And in a bid to achieve this, Prince Indah went for the saxophone. And some Swahili lines. And that is where the discussion has been.
Ohangla is heavily invested in Luo culture and traditional music instruments. When Prince Indah introduced the saxophone in his beats, there are those who felt he has deviated. That with such a move, Ohangla is losing its original taste and standing. Yet, majority of his fans feel it is the right thing to do with the advancement in music technology and the world becoming a global village, really.
This is the same argument with those opposing the Swahili lines in the song. They feel that the use of Swahili in the song is detrimental to Ohangla. But ardent fans believe Prince Indah, since his hugely successful collabo with Bahati in 'Adhiambo', became more of a national than communal/regional musician. So it is ok if he throws in those Swahili or English lines to accommodate his ever expanding fanbase.
Yet there is the third factor to #1 trending on Youtube.
Odongo Swagg.
Another fast rising and hugely admired Ohangla singer, Odongo Swagg dropped one of his own, 'Linda', around the same time Indah released 'Herawa Ni'. And the battle among their fans erupted.
It is this back and forth between the fans, on who between the two musicians did well, that has contributed to Herawa Ni remaining top on Youtube.
So far, the song has garnered at 490k views on Youtube.
Prince Indah's camp, however, believes the ballad has remained top because of the work put into it.
His manager Pius Omudho says Indah appeals to everyone because he knows what exactly his fans want.
Omudho says the beautiful scenes of Luo Nyanza in the song and the rich Luo culture infused into it make it a marvel
Ohangla fans believe Indah is headed the right direction, not just musically but also in entrepreneurship. The various gigs he is doing, the endorsements, the collaborations with top artists, all are signs of a musician who knows what he is doing.
And what really makes him tick is that he is versatile, confident to try new things out. Rumour has it that he is working on something with Mugithi singer Samidoh, and that could be another banger.
'Herawa Ni' has elicited immense reactions. This could mean his fans are demanding for more from him. Or they just want him to retain his original sound. Or they want him to maintain.
The ball is clearly in his court even as he revels in becoming the first Luo musician to hit Youtube top charts
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