Nakufa hitmaker Okello Max has grown through the ranks to become a household name in Kenya’s music scene.
The singer hypnotizes fans with his Afrobeat style and soulful voice, and has grown a reputation for delivering powerful performances each time.
And while most reports speak of his musical journey starting when he was signed to Sol Generation in 2019, key players in the music scene had identified his talent and nudged him in the direction before the signing.
The singer spoke about how he got into the industry in a 2019 interview with Potentash, where he opened up about participating in competitions in the hope of making it someday.
It was not a rosy journey, and he did odd jobs, all the while listening to music- a true love that remained close to his heart.
“In between times or whenever I got the chance before another customer arrived, I’d play the guitar. This went on for three months but it was also enough time to learn a few lessons in life. I met good people but I met the arrogant ones. In all this music was my haven and it became an escape from all the tough times, the roller coasters and the hurdles that I faced,” the singer said.
He added: “There were times I would sleep happy and assured that my career would blow. That I was amongst the victors in the singing competitions at Bidii Music Talent Search and Talanta Mtaani.”
“Only to wake up and my hopes would’ve been crushed when the results stated otherwise. Nonetheless through all this, I learnt to be patient and to persevere in trying times. I also learnt to take a step back because sometimes one can be so caught up in their ambitions that they forget it is a process.”
Max was first discovered through the Bidii Music Talent search, and the competition has now returned.
A throwback clip of the artiste impressing the judges on the competition with his vocals in 2018 has been seen by this writer, where he then emerged Runner’s Up.
Organisers of the search have exclusively revealed to Habari Digital that they are open to receiving demos and samples from upcoming artistes.
A banner of the talent search lists the steps of application as recording oneself singing any song, and then submitting the recording to www. bidiimusic.com.
Winners stand a chance to win up to Sh100,000 as well as a studio recording sponsorship. They can also brush shoulders with the who’s who in the industry, and potentially work with renowned producers like Teddy B, Ihaji, JackyB, Motifdidon and more
