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AN African choir brought to worldwide fame after performing at President Barack Obama’s inauguration will be appearing at the Pavilion Theatre, Rhyl, on April 15. Tickets cost £14.50 and £12.50 - contact the Box Office on 01745 330000.
The Kenyan Boys Choir perform an inspiring, joyous variety of popular Kenyan, pan-African, Western, Gospel and Spiritual songs and chants, dressed in vibrant traditional tribal costumes and featuring choreographed dance routines.
The young men aged between 14 and 25 have had huge success and in addition to their nationwide tour of the UK in April, a multiple date tour of South East Asia and China is now being planned for the summer.
The Journal caught up with one of the elder members of the choir - Dayo Yussif for a chat.
Is this your first trip to the UK?
No, we have been to the UK twice before, though very briefly and we didnt actually get to perform any real concert there, we had come for a media launch of our first album with Universal Music Records.
Are audiences encouraged to sing along/get involved with the shows?
Yes we always encourage audiences to dance or sing along. After all they wouldnt help it, as we approach the climax of our concerts usually we mingle with them and encourage them to come on stage, hand them some of our costumes and props like the maasai shields so they can dance with them in hand. It all gets fun and crowded on the stage and the excitement is wonderful.
The word uplifting is used to describe your music - also how would you describe your set?
I would say Powerful, colourful, entertaining and very fresh.
What role does the music play in your everyday life and what does it mean to you?
Music means a big deal to all the boys. Its through this music that some members in the group managed to pay their way through high school and college.
We have members who were approached in the group and offered music teaching jobs.
The Choir has had an influence also on the carreer people take, a big number are now studying music professionally.
As for some of us who dont take it professionally, it is my run away corner at the end of the day.
After a long day's activities, nothing sounds better than choir practice. And for all of us at the choir, this music has brought us together in brotherhood and a tight bond that cannot ever be broken. Music is our lives.
Being asked to join the choir - was this a watershed moment for many of the choir members?
I was privaliged to be one of the founding members. so I was part of the making of the name and saw the group grow to fame in the country. But this also meant that I never had to go through the rigorous process of being recruited. I was on the other end of the interview bench. (smile) We set some very high standards for joining so it was always a big challenge for the young guys coming in. Mostly we ask them to be accompanied by their parents as they come for their auditions. I have seen some members shed a tear of relief and excitement when we told them they had been selected to join. It is always a kodak moment.
And did it signal a life change for many of them?
Yes for some of the members joining the group meant confirming their musical talent and careers.
The group offers excellent opportunities for the members, in terms of looking for sponsorships for their school fees, or sometimes just helping eachother out.
Most of the members come from very humble back grounds. some of the parents have come to us and said, you guys have taken my son off the streets and drugs.
One parent once told me that she sees her son as her ticket out of the life she was in. She beleives that when things finally work out for the membrs, it will lift her out of poverty as well. And we say Amen to that.
Are you surprised by the popularity of your album with people from outside Africa?
Not really, because since the inception of the idea, we knew we probably had a bigger chance selling outisde the country and in Europe and America than back home. This is because our style of singing was based on the traditional Vienna boys choir style of singing which was not very common in Africa and Kenya. Howvever when we merged that style with the traditional act from Africa, then the reception was amazing both in Kenya and around the world.
How did it feel performing in front of Barack Obama's as part of his inauguration?
We were invited to perform at the celebrations around the inauguration and that was something of the highest essence in the country at that time. Everyone wanted to be a part of that historic event. And when we were selected and invited to participate, it was the envy of the whole country, the pride of all our parents and most importantly the biggest achievement for us. We forever cherish the moment that we recieved the news .
What are your memories of the day/any nerves?
The best moments were when we went to perform at dinner ball parties organized for the President because that was the closest we came to the president. We were invited to four dinner balls in the same evening. I cant forget the faces of the boys when they discovered at one of the Ball parties that they were sitting right next to big stars such as Robert De Niro. It was very exciting and felt like we had been lifted to a whole new level. I must agree, yes this led to some butterflies in the stomach.
What was the reaction from the President and did you have a chance to speak to him?
No we did not get a chance to speak to the President directly, but one of the committee members who was part of organizing the events, and who fronted our name to be invited to the event came to us and said, "Obama knows you now". Maybe if we are lucky we might in the future organize a more private event when we could get a chance to mingle with him. But "he likes what you do" - those were some great words coming from our host then. Very promising.
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