17th May is a date ingrained in the minds of many Kenyans thanks to Freshley Mwamburi’s hit single “Stella Wangu”. The song is based on Freshley’s real life experience of getting his heart broken by his sweetheart when he was just a young man. But even before this song, Freshley was certain that his calling was in music…
Mwamburi Mwakachola spent his formative years in Wundanyi, Taita-Taveta. He left his childhood home for Mombasa when he was enrolled into Changamwe Boys’ Day and Boarding School. This choice ultimately paid off as he proceeded to join Allidina Visram High School, one of the top boys’ schools in the coast. While here, Mwamburi joined the school choir and began his musical journey.
His newfound dream was nearly crashed when he expressed his interests to his father. He was met with a stern refusal and a forbiddance not to pursue music any further. He took comfort in the fact that music was part of his paternal grandfather’s legacy; he had been one of the singers present when the Union Jack was lowered at Uhuru Gardens on 12th December 1963. His grandfather advocated for his musical pursuits and his father eventually obliged. This allowed Mwamburi to form the Mombasa International Band at the age of 15. His band began performing small gigs and creating a name for themselves around the island’s musical circles.
In 1982, a few years after he completed his secondary education, Mwamburi was recruited to the Kenya Air Force band. Shortly afterwards, Kenya had an attempted coup that was believed to be orchestrated by the Kenya Air Force officials. Mwamburi was court martialed at Lang’ata Barracks but was released after his innocence in the matter was ascertained.
After being discharged from the armed forces the next year, Mwamburi was signed by Simba Wanyika band led by brothers Wilson Peter Kinyonga and George Peter Kinyonga. He remained a part of this group until 1987, when he joined Les Wanyika, a band led by John Ngereza and Profesa Omar. During his time with Les Wanyika, Freshley Mwamburi co-created some of Kenya’s great hits of the day such as Mama Watoto, Afro, and Lipi la Ajabu. This was a learning period for Freshley as he played with established East African artists and learnt all he could about rhumba music. Towards the end of the 80s, having mastered this art form as well as he could, he left Les Wanyika and formed his own band named Everest Kings. It was shortly after this that Mwamburi met Stella, the muse for the song that has become the quintessential Kenyan heartbreak anthem.
Stella Wangu was released in 1992. Mwamburi’s agony over losing Stella to another man tugged at the heartstrings of many, and the song became an instant hit countrywide. This song thrust him into the limelight and established him as an exquisite singer and songwriter. He then went on to record other incredible songs, including Safari ya Mombasa, Panga Mipango, Siri ya Moyoni, Tuelewane Ndugu, and Mtongwe Ferry.
At the beginning of 2021, Freshley Mwamburi surprised the world by releasing a remix of Stella Wangu. The lyrics remain unchanged, but the audio and video have been updated for an enhanced musical experience. This was definitely appreciated by old and new rhumba fans alike, as the video currently has over 3.5 million views on YouTube and the numbers continue to climb every day.
Even after 40 years in the business, Freshley Mwamburi remains a household name and maintains plans to release new music in the coming future. We applaud his dedication to his profession, and salute him for his work as a #KeMusician.
Listen to Stella Wangu, the timeless heartbreak song that can now be seen as both a humourous tale and a lesson learned.