We had a sit-down or rather a drive with talented singer Phy. She will be on the upcoming episode of YouTube entertainment show, The Vault. She unpacks the musical journey that has taken her close to 9 years. Did you know she even had a band called Phy and The Band after high school? Neither did we. She talks about her CNN feature, her song ‘Power’ and international gigs she’s been to. She’s also an ice cream lover.
The Vault takes her on an interesting adventure at the Forest located in Kereita and she enjoys every minute of it. Keep it here to watch the fun video which will be out soon.
Tell us about your stage name?
My full name is Phyllis. I know, I have such a cucu name (grandma) *laughs* so I was like maaaahn we need to make this cool. Everybody has called me Phy since I was a child and everyone has known my mum as ‘Mama Phy’ so I’d say it was meant to be.
What was the first song you officially recorded and what were your expectations?
I was doing a hook for this guy who’s a rapper called Feature on The Beat. P.s, don’t go look for that video on YouTube I’m so embarrassed (laughs). We were in someone’s bedroom and the bedroom is super small and yeah, that was my first official studio song.View this post on Instagram
What moment made you realize that you had made it, gotten this music thing right?
I realized I made it when CNN followed me for an entire day. I felt like a Kardashian fam (laughs). They called me and they were like, “Hey, is this Phy? We wanna do an interview.” And I was like, “CNN!?” And I’m thinking it’s China Network something in those lines because I’m like there’s no way it’s actually CNN who wants to do this with me. They came through and filmed me for an entire day.
What has kept you driven all this time to keep going?
Funny enough, I never wanted to be a musician growing up. I was such a nerd in school and I thought I would be this engineer or something. So I’d say music happened to me and it felt like such a purpose God wanted me to achieve and now I feel like I have a responsibility for the people I influence.
You have been able to access international markets which is impressive as a Kenyan artist. How did you get there? Give us your secrets
I have no secret (laughs). Just be consistent and chuck stuff and make sure it’s dope. Make yourself known and be very genuine with your fans. They need to feel like you’re being yourself. Work hard and it’ll get to the people that matter.
Which has been your best international gig to date?
So I’m sitting at home and my manager is like, ”Yooh, something big is coming and I’m about to call you.” I love how he sets me up for these things. He tells me Russia just called us and we’re about to go do this thing called the World Youth Festival and it’s at the Olympic Arena. We get there and it’s like VIP treatment. I felt like Beyonce for the entire stay. And guess who performed on the opening night? One Republic! I can confidently say I shared a stage with them. At that moment everything made sense to me, the 9 years of almost giving up and everything that had previously gone wrong in my musical journey made sense.
What was the inspiration behind the song ‘Power’?
I was in a weird place when writing ‘Power’. I’d just come back from another gig in Italy. I sat down and wrote about this whole orchestration of what my life has been and how I was meant to be here. And at that moment I realized I can do anything I put my mind to.
What’s your interaction with fans like?
My fans are the cooleeeeeest!!! Phylosophers!!! In this business of ours, you have to remind yourself not to buy into your own hype because your fans will gas you up but then Kenya is brutal. If you make one wrong move, they’re so unforgiving. It’s developing that healthy balance for me where I’m aware that these people love my craft but they don’t know me for me and hopefully they get to know me with time.
If you could go back in time and give yourself advice what would it be?
I’d tell my younger self to wait it out because it’s going to be okay. And also, whatever moment you’re in doesn’t define you forever.
Quickfire questions:
Mombasa or Nairobi? Nairobi ?️
Saturday or Sunday? Monday!?
Whitney Houston or Adele? Adele???
Pharell Williams or Masego? Phare… no, Masego!???
Beyonce or Lauryn Hill? Lauryn Hill???
Roast chicken or roast beef? Roast chicken?
Michelle Obama or Maya Angelou? Michelle Obama??
Lifetime supply of chocolate or ice cream? Ice cream?
The beach or the forest? The forch* (laughs), forest!?️
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