Blinky Bill (musician)

Last updated

Bill Sellanga, known by his stage name Blinky Bill, is a Kenyan musician/producer and DJ based in Nairobi. He is also a founder of the Kenyan art and music collective Just A Band.

Contents

Blinky Bill chose his stage name after seeing his name in a newspaper and thinking that it looked too boring. [1] The name was inspired by the Australian cartoon of the same name, which was also his nickname in high school.

Music career

When Blinky Bill studied at Kenyatta University, he met Daniel Muli and Jim Chuchu and formed the alternative art and music collective Just A Band. Their debut album, Scratch to Reveal , was released in 2008. In 2010, the music video for their hit single Ha-He became widely described as Kenya's first viral video. [2] [3] [4]

In 2018, Blinky Bill released his first solo studio album, Everyone’s Just Winging It And Other Fly Tales. [5] [6] One of the album tracks, Feeling It, appeared on the original motion picture soundtrack of the 2018 film Rafiki . The album followed the EP We Cut Keys While You Wait from 2016. [7]

Emirates partnered with Blinky Bill in 2019 to create a "pan-African anthem" celebrating the talent and achievements of young Africans. It was part of Emirates' "New Africa" campaign. [8] The campaign described Sellanga as the "embodiment of a renaissance in African music". [9]

Blinky Bill is a TED fellow [10] and was named to the Yerba Buena Centre of the Arts’ 2018 YBCA 100 list of people shifting culture and creating change. [11]

Discography

Studio albums

Solo

  • Everyone’s Just Winging It And Other Fly Tales (2018)

Just A Band

  • Scratch To Reveal (2008)
  • 82 (2009)
  • Sorry for the Delay (2012)

EPs

Solo

  • We Cut Keys While You Wait (2016)

Just A Band

  • The Light Fantastic EP (2006)
  • BLNRB (2010)

Related Research Articles

Telkom Kenya is an integrated telecommunications provider in Kenya. It was previously a part of the Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (KPTC) which was the sole provider of both postal and telecommunication services. The company was established as a telecommunications operator in April 1999, after the split of KPTC into the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), the Postal Corporation of Kenya (POSTA) and Telkom Kenya. As of 2023, the company is fully owned the Government of Kenya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benga music</span> Music genre in Kenya

Benga is a genre of Kenyan popular music. It evolved between the late 1940s and late 1960s, in Kenya's capital city of Nairobi. In the 1940s, the African Broadcasting Service in Nairobi aired a steady stream of soukous, South African kwela, Congolese finger-style guitar and various kinds of Cuban dance music that heavily influenced emergence of benga. There were also popular folk songs of Tanzania and Kenya's Luo peoples that formed the base on benga creation.

Just a Band is a Kenyan alternative band whose career was launched with their 2008 debut album, Scratch to Reveal. Their music has explored various musical directions such as jazz, hip-hop, disco, and electronica. The band are credited with creating Kenya's first viral music video after their 2010 music video for "Ha-He!"—featuring fictional Kenyan superhero-inspired protagonist Makmende—sparked countrywide interest.

<i>82</i> (album) 2009 studio album by Just a Band

82 is the second studio album by the Kenyan house/funk trio Just a Band, released in 2009 following their debut release Scratch to Reveal. Just A Band signed a US licensing deal with Akwaaba Music, who re-released 82 on February 23, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sauti Sol</span> Kenyan band

Sauti Sol is a Kenyan Afropop band formed in Nairobi in 2005 by vocalists Bien-Aimé Baraza, Willis Chimano and Savara Mudigi. Initially an a cappella group, guitarist Polycarp Otieno joined before they named themselves Sauti Sol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diamond Platnumz</span> Tanzanian singer, dancer, philanthropist and businessman

Naseeb Abdul Juma Issack, professionally known as Diamond Platnumz, is a Tanzanian bongo flava recording artist, dancer, philanthropist and businessman. He is the founder and CEO of WCB Wasafi Record Label, Wasafi Bet and Wasafi Media. Diamond has gained a massive following in East and Central Africa. He became the first Africa-based artist to reach 900 million views on YouTube.

Jim Chuchu is a Kenyan film director, photographer, singer-songwriter and visual artist. He first came to attention as a member of Kenyan music group Just A Band and subsequently as director of Kenyan LGBT film Stories of Our Lives.

The video game industry is a young industry in Kenya. Though various start-up companies have appeared in the country since 2007, the existing businesses are dealing with funding issues and few successes have been made. However, shared spaces, support programs and government grants introduced over the past few years have allowed the industry to grow large in a short period of time. The introduction of broadband internet in 2009 spawned a generation of young ICT savvy people in the country and the Kenyan game industry is as of 2015 among the largest in Africa.

Elani is a Kenyan African pop group from Nairobi. It consists of three members; Wambui Ngugi, Brian Chweya and Maureen Kunga. The trio released their debut single"Jana Usiku" in November 2013 that became a great success, paving way for their subsequent singles. In 2014, the trio released numerous singles in the making of their debut album Barua ya Dunia.

Patricia Wangechi Kihoro is a Kenyan singer, songwriter, actress, radio and reality television personality. She rose into prominence after she participated in the third season of Tusker Project Fame, where she became one of the finalists. In acting, she has appeared in a number of local productions like the 2011 film, Miss Nobody, which saw her being nominated in the 2012 Kalasha Awards for best lead actress in a film. In television production, she has been cast as a lead in Groove Theory, a musical drama and as a regular in Demigods, Changes, Rush and Makutano Junction. As a radio presenter, she has worked with One FM and Homeboyz FM. Patricia is a content creator, influencer and youtuber.

Sandra Nankoma, previously known as Sandy Soul, is a Ugandan recording artist, singer-songwriter, composer, actor and performer of Afro-soul and jazz music. She is well known for her single Kaddugala from her debut album Ye'nze for which she won an award for Best Female Artist in African Inspirational Music at AFRIMA Awards in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sho Madjozi</span> South African artist

Maya Christinah Xichavo Wegerif, known professionally as Sho Madjozi, is a South African rapper, singer, songwriter, actress and poet. Madjozi incorporates the Tsonga culture through her music and public image. In 2019, Madjozi was named as one of Forbes Africa's 30 Under 30 for her contribution in the music and entertainment sector.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jano Band</span> Ethiopian progressive rock band

Jano Band is an Ethiopian rock band formed by its entrepreneurs Ermyas Amelga, Bill Laswell and former manager Addis Gessesse in 2011. It versatilely mixes progressive rock with Ethiopian music. The band includes two female back and lead vocalists, two lead male vocalists, and four musicians who play bass guitar, rhythm guitar, drum, and keyboards.

<i>A Boy from Tandale</i> 2018 studio album by Diamond Platnumz

A Boy from Tandale is the third studio album by Tanzanian singer Diamond Platnumz - following Kamwambie (2010) and Lala Salama (2012). It was released on March 14, 2018, by Universal Music Group. After joining Universal Music Group in 2017, Diamond began working on the songs which would be used on the album. Musically, A Boy from Tandale is an afro-pop, Bongo Flava album that displays influences of music from West of Africa - especially Nigeria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otile Brown</span> Kenyan singer and songwriter

Jacob Obunga popularly known as Otile Brown is a Kenyan independent R&B singer, songwriter, guitarist and actor. He gained media attention after the release of his hit single "Imaginary Love" which features Khaligraph Jones. He released his debut studio album, in April 2017. The album was supported by the singles "Basi", "Alivyonipenda", "Shujaa Wako", "DeJavu" and "Aiyolela". Brown had also collaborated with artists such as Sanaipei Tande, Okangasto, Barakah The Prince, King Kaka, Volvexzshawa among others.

Odi pop is a Kenyan music style which involves localized hip hop and draws influences from reggae and Dancehall music to build on an African Rhythm base performed in sing-along rap in heavy Kiswahili/Sheng language. There are several sub-genres stemming from this umbrella term including Gengeton, Dabonge, Debe and others. The music is spearheaded by Kenyan youths and most of them are pursuing their careers as music groups opposed to solo careers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khaligraph Jones</span> Kenyan rapper

Brian Ouko Omollo, popularly known by his stage name Khaligraph Jones, is a Kenyan rapper known for his hit singles "Mazishi" and "Yego". He released his debut full-length studio album Testimony 1990 in June 2018. Khaligraph Jones has achieved numerous awards during his career. He was nominated for 'Best Male Artist' at the 2018 Afrimma Awards, won 'Best Hip Hop Artist' at the 2020 Afrimma Awards, and was nominated for 'Best International Act' at the 2020 BET Awards.

Mbithi Masya is a film maker, artist and writer born in Nairobi, Kenya.

BBC Africa Eye is an investigative branch of the BBC World Service. It has a network of local and investigative journalists and researchers working across Africa and produces an award-winning bi-weekly TV and online investigations series broadcast in English, Hausa, Swahili and French. The series focuses on topics that are of interest and concern to young and underserved audience and aims to strengthen and encourage investigative journalism across Africa.

References

  1. ↑ "Blinky Bill, trailblazer of the Kenyan urban scene". PAM - Pan African Music. 2018-10-22. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  2. ↑ Vinograd, Cassandra (2010-03-24). "Kenya Launches Country's First Viral Music Video". WSJ. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  3. ↑ "The makers of Africa's first viral video: Just a Band at TEDGlobal 2013". TED Blog. 2013-06-13. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  4. ↑ Meet Just a Band, the Art Collective Behind Kenya's First Viral Video | The New York Times , retrieved 2020-06-16
  5. ↑ "Winging It With Blinky". Brainstorm. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  6. ↑ "Blinky Bill's New Album Shows That There Are No Limits to His Creativity". OkayAfrica. 2018-10-22. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  7. ↑ "We Cut Keys While You Wait, by Blinky Bill". Blinky Bill. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  8. ↑ Correspondent, B. T. (2019-03-28). "Kenyan musician Blinky Bill creates a pan-African anthem for Emirates". Business Today Kenya. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  9. ↑ Twitter https://twitter.com/emirates/status/1119254472381825024 . Retrieved 2020-06-16.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ↑ "TED Fellows in the Field: Exploring Nairobi with "Blinky" Bill Sellanga". TED Blog. 2016-10-19. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  11. ↑ "Past Honorees". YBCA. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.