The sensitive side of Nameless

I'd like to thank God, my friends and family, Oprah(what? she is very relevant) and the kind streets of Nairobi which I am proud to say eased up on the traffic this week so much that we made it to the interview in time! (Yes!in time! Thank you! Thank you for the standing ovation try and contain yourselves...we'll be here all week, don't forget to tip your waitresses). So while everyone else was busy preparing for the interview, i tried to imagine what meeting him for the first time would be..and i know what you're all thinking..that i have attention issues cos I wasn't actively participating...but I don't. anyways I imagined Nameless(i probably forgot to mention we were meeting Nameless..but now you know:-))) would cruise into the scene in his ultra cool, expensive car and step out clad in flashy designer wear and his trademark dark glasses followed by his really huge bodyguard and shield his eyes from the flashes coming from the paparazzi 's cameras as the bodyguard fought them off. Thinking back, the bit about the paparazzi would be overstretching the situation a bit. I guess I watch too much TV.
I was right about two things though, the BMW X5(the bit about the really cool car) and the dark glasses which by the way he was quick to clarify that they're not cosmetic..HE ACTUALLY NEEDS THEM TO SEE!!! sorry to disappoint those that thought they were for swaggerific purposes.. . and in my books imagining all that has got to count for something right?

So, Nameless! Everybody knows Nameless and it would be really weird if you didn't and it would probably be best if you didn't reveal it in public(if you want to maintain your social life of course). You all know him from megarider, salary, sinzia, prisoner, that really cool colgate commercial when we were younger(*sigh*..good times!!!). Our boy Jamani was chatting up Nameless when we arrived
and this is what we gathered from him

The highs...

Nothing ever beats the first time: the first eye connection, the first kiss, the first argument the first time i got my first pair of heels(sorry...i tend to steer things in my direction even when it is very unnecessary..but I'm working on it) and for Nameless it was no different. Hearing his song on air for the first time was priceless and when we asked what he was doing at the time he heard it, he told us that he was at a boring night shift at the office and when he heard it he could not believe it and after that he had a really hard time convincing his friends that it was him and not anyone else, but with time they figured it really was him(funny huh?).

The highlight of his career however was winning the MTV awards and especially because he wanted to make Kenya proud.He says he spent that whole month praying and convincing people to vote and he was so thankful for the support from friends, family and of course his fans. He also had his song featured in the FIFA 2010 world cup and even though he wasn't paid he was quick to add that he was grateful for the exposure and the opportunity to work with other international artist like Shakira, R.kelly, Fally Ipupa, Kelly Rowland among others.

The lows...There is an amazing quote i love from Moliere that says 'unbroken happiness is a bore. It should have its ups and downs' and for nameless the road accident that he was involved in with fellow artist E-sir was a big blow in his life especially cos they were just starting out and E-sir had a really bright future ahead of him.

Naturally, it is an artist's dream to expand his fan base into other regions of the continent and beyond and Nameless has managed to do so having featured in the FIFA album(as mentioned earlier) and having had numerous collabos with Uganda group Blue 3, Kidum among others.

"...home is always best.Sometimes people make the mistake of trying to get out so much they forget home. The balance is what I always try to maintain my roots like P-square got it right"

Here is something you didn't know about Nameless... He is sensitive! Imagine that? That is not to say he will cry a river and drown the world(In fact he insisted we write it in caps lock that NAMELESS DOES NOT CRY!) He is in touch with his emotions, and will be affected by what others say about him(which is is only human if you ask me) and also, he writes his own music!yes he does..so all that sinzia magic that you love to hear is a hundred percent nameless, ISO certified and everything.

when we asked who he thought was the next big thing "...definitely Juliani''. Dude has rhymes and Madtraxx is also doing really well for himself."

What drives him?

"The passion for life . the fact that you only have one life to live and you don't know how long you have to do it so you have to live it to the fullest."Couldn't have said it better!

Where does he shop?

He shops in Deacons, Identity but mostly he shops when he is traveling (and they say men do not go on shopping sprees?)

when we asked what he thought of the skinny jeans trend that most guys have recently embraced he stated that he approved but not the extremely tight ones that cut of blood circulation and make it hard to walk..
In concluding..
After spending an incredible amount with him we realized how much fun Nameless is...not to mention what a regular mwananchi he is.In fact if I lived in a a parallel universe and I had no idea who Nameless was, you would honestly have a hard time convincing me he was a big time successful artist. He is a hard worker, a loving dad and husband and an amazing artist. So kudos to Nameless..we salute you!
here are more pics of him...

*the photography is the work of Mark Munkunya*

The lovely Julie Gichuru...

Herein is the story of us trying to beat time, traffic and slow pedestrians in a bid to meet Julie Gichuru, Well, not really a story, but you'll flow with it. Seriously though, how crazy is Nairobi traffic? it's on days such as these that you ask yourself when Kenyans bought all these cars, but, I digress...Julie(smiley face..again) so when we finally make it to the citizen studios, go through the proper procedural security check(probably to establish that they were not unleashing crazy folk on one of the most watched tv personalities in kenya and probably the greater East Africa!), the only expressions plastered on our faces were..yes, you guessed it!..smiley faces. At the spur of the moment I tried coming up with the proper adjective to describe this woman and the only thing I came up with was BEAUTIFUL! not cute or preety but sheer beauty, and what makes it so amazing is that she was super friendly and extremely down to earth and this became even clearer as we got to know more about her.

She is a strong ,independent career woman with an extraordinary head on her shoulders(a head with pretty amazing hair I might add..but you knew that already), an amazing mother and most importantly, she is a child of God.This is what we gathered.

The career;

A career in the media industry was definitely not in her trajectory but hey, she's here and she's most definitely working it. Having pursued a degree in law and an MBA from cardiff business school, university of wales, she simply stumbled upon it and she loves it. As is the case with all careers there have to be highs and lows. One of her highs is that she appreciates that she has the opportunity to help the regular mwananchi find his voice and be heard infact she says that she's probably more nervous when she has to interview the regular mwananchi than when she is to interview some politician or a high profile celebrity..weird right? she is not the kind to dwell on challenges as she prefers to deal with them head on but she however states that the one challenge that comes to mind the most and it kind of bothers her a bit was, that she regrets not having had the opportunity to spend time with her kids as they were growing up in the pursuit of building her career, you know, their first tomato bite, their first baby steps and stuff like that but she tries to be the best mother she can be because there's simply no job greater than that. The move from local media house NTV was also a challenge because she simply felt that she needed to work somewhere that dealt with key issues in society and at that time the post election violence was rampant and citizen tv awarded her the opportunity to deal with such issues head on, as is apparent in her previous show fist to five.

'Looking back however this was never really an issue because I dealt with it the best way I knew how', she said.

The other good stuff;

She loves music,all genres of music. she can listen to everything and anything in fact she had just finished downloading the ol skool' jams the night before(durang durang, bon jovi, ACDC et cetra). She loves stretching, not yoga per se but just stretching and she simply loves spending time with her children(you can seriously tell that she simply adores them. Her face lights up every time she talks about them...super cute!)

Other than anchoring and media she is also involved in her foundation, that she set up with her husband called theAnthony-Julie foundation that they recently changed name to the footprints foundation that deals with key issues involving the youth of Kenya. Examples of projects they're involved in include the great debaters contest in collaboration with the Jamhuri peace foundations to get young people discussing serious governance issues, there is also the Natembea project whose aim was to put a pair of shoes on children who could not afford them as well as the dettol hygiene project( you've all probably seen the advert).

Julie is at a point in her life where she loves the woman she has become. She doesn't have to worry about her insecurities or her flaws. Her mantra is working on what she can change and what she cannot well, there is nothing to do but embrace it!

The Fashion.

We all agree that Julie will look fabulous on any given Sunday(You must be out of your mind if you don't!).

Where she shops? everywhere and anywhere..doesn't matter if it goes for 2 bob. If it looks good,she'll buy (ladies don't we apply to that principle?)She doesn't like to buy extremely expensive stuff, but she will indulge once in a while.

."...at the end of the day I'm a mother and I'm aware that there other things that I have to spend money on. sometimes you look at a pair of shoes or a dress and you say to yourself that that could pay school fees for a child somewhere.it doesn't take a whole lot to look good .It just takes being clever to be able to mix and match to make something work for you"

The one thing she'd absolutely have if she got stranded in a remote Island would be a notebook and a pen(I would go for the endless supply of chicken wings...but that's just me!) because she writes a lot and a bible because it's got so many amazing stories.

And finally...

The one thing that she learnt from her job is that everyone has an opinion or a perspective of how things should be. What's important is that we learn to respect these opinions and that challenges in life are only there to make you stronger what you need is a strong support system and a ridiculous amount of prayer.Now is this an amazing woman or is this an amazing woman?

The uhidaya crew sharing a laugh with Julie

The Duchess of Cambridge

On the 29th of April, you all witnessed the becoming of a princess from what the media termed as a "commoner" every girl wanted to be the Duchess of Campbridge...wedding bells were ringing in every girl's head. for those who have weddings coming up.... there was also a lot of speculation about who was designing her dress and who else but the re-known Sarah Burton prodigy of the great Alexander Mcqueen.. there is the cinderella dress every girl dreams about..as prince charming comes and sweeps her off her feet and they cascade into the sunset

there is the straight dress ..for those who do not want their curves and "assets" to be covered up...if you are a bit of a show off..heres the dress for you(there is nothing to be ashamed about being a show off)

you think the long flowing dress is overarted...girlies who do not like being tied up to the coventional are going the short way...especially for those who want to show a little leg. and as a plus..lacy is sexy

I personally love lace! its sheer elegance is second to none, no wonder Sarah Burtton (Kates wedding dress designer) had to add a touch of it on Kates dress its timeless, conservative and every bit sexy..

For the non-virgin bride keeping off white is appropriate but that doesnt mean you throw on a black frock!a soft pink would be cute check out the tiered dress at the top fancy huh?

Ok so remember what I said about not throwing on a black frock?don't get excited as a bride you still can't but when it comes to bridesmaids there are no rules per se...heck! they can have neon green for dresses with orange purses...(I'd rather you don't!)but seriously gone are the days when the bridesmaids have to match with the bride. Your maids can wear black its slimming, can flatter any size and its simplicity makes it so easy to work with! If you beg to differ look up..

Her wedding probably coincided with Kate and William's hence the flames on her dress!(anything to get people's attention!)well atleast that's my theory how else can you reasonably explain the hideous tasteless artwork on her frock! seriously whatever you do, do not try this at home!

Images from google.