A lot of things require courage, and among those is believing that you have an extraordinary, unique voice. Believing though is just one half of the entire courage, the second half is performing before an audience that isn’t the showerhead or your bedroom mirror. Let’s assume that as you do this, you don’t think much about the outcome; after all, you’re just doing your thing. And then in what seems to be the blink of an eye, your video has gone viral and shortly after you have a fan-base that you didn’t imagine was possible. This magnitude of courage was the foundation of budding musician Amani Gracious’s rise to fame.
Her story begins with the words, the beliefs and the perceptions around her: to make it as a musician is near impossible. The possibility of success comes only through an introduction by an industry big-wig or, well, if you’re lucky, by chance. Amani had always been a songbird, but her angelic voice was only heard within the confines of her friend circles. No one thought to share but they all enjoyed her tunes. During this period, Amani was using her small audiences to her advantage. She had grown up in a family of musicians and therefore had seen the various endeavors her kin had to endure to usher themselves into the music industry. Fortunately for Amani, there were a few competitions worth taking into consideration.
Her first attempt into the music industry was via KTN’s music competition “I Can Sing”. A hopeful Amani intended to wow the judges at the auditions. Unfortunately, she didn’t get a call back from the show. Still, her hope persevered; to Amani, it was all about God’s timing. She tried again, this time for a show called “Kids Can Sing”, and here’s where it really happened. She progressed to the semi-finals, and while she didn’t make it to the finals, the competition was a journey that nurtured her talent and boosted her self-confidence.
Despite this great achievement, things weren’t great at home financially. Amani was out of school and there were few things beyond revision to help her pass the long days at home. She often went outdoors, played with friends and entertained them with her renditions of popular songs. One day, as she was singing a stranger was amazed by the voice and in millennial-fashion, took out her phone and recorded Amani and thereafter posted the video on social media. Amani’s video went viral, Kenyans and non-Kenyans loved her rendition of Alicia Keys’ ‘This Girl is on Fire’.
News eventually got to Amani’s family about the video, after all, she hadn’t known about its existence, but she was grateful for the exposure. Her excitement could not be contained. Years of work and relentlessness had finally culminated to fame. Soon, mentors were reaching out to her with offers of guidance through the hectic waters of stardom. Other musicians desired to collaborate with the girl on diverse musical projects. And finally, as the crowning of her recognition, two weeks after its booming success on social media, Alicia Keys applauded Amani’s vocal talent on social media.
Today we know her as Amani G and she remains the humble 13-year-old Kenyan girl from Githurai. While she is signed with Pine Creek Records, Amani continues to soar vocally and has released a few gospel songs for our entertainment. We are motivated by this Paukwa Kid’s spirit and cannot wait to see her on the global charts. Hongera Amani Gracious.
