“I Had to Leave Kenya to Love Kenya” – Rising Gen Z Singer Melanie Macharia on Music, Identity and Home

Kenyan singer and songwriter Melanie Macharia says leaving the country was the very thing that taught her how deeply she belonged to it.

The 26-year-old Manchester-based artiste, currently back in Kenya on an Arts Council England grant, is reconnecting with her roots while shaping a sound inspired by migration, identity, and the quiet loneliness of life abroad.

Macharia, who performs under the name Macharia Music, recently returned home after spending two years in the United Kingdom, where she completed a Master’s degree in Music Performance at the University of Manchester. 

Her studies focused on vocal performance, including jazz and opera, building on the musical foundation she developed in Kenya.

Her growing profile became evident in 2024 after a video of her performing Antônio Jobim’s Corcovado with University of Manchester music students and Grammy-winning percussionist Carlos Maldonado gained attention online. 

Among seasoned performers, Macharia’s voice stood out—controlled, expressive, and unmistakably confident.

Yet her journey abroad was not without its challenges.

Speaking in Nairobi, Macharia reflected on the isolation she faced while living in Manchester. 

Arriving without family or a close support system, she had to navigate both her career and personal life on her own. 

Being the only African student in her department heightened her awareness of race, difference, and representation—experiences she says were unfamiliar while growing up in Kenya.

“You walk into a room and everyone else is white,” she said. “You stand out, even when you don’t want to.”

That reality forced her to confront deeper questions about belonging and identity. While the UK offered opportunity and exposure, it also reminded her of what she missed about home—the ease of blending in, cultural familiarity, and shared language.

Raised in an English-speaking household, Macharia says she never fully learned Kikuyu. Living abroad ignited a desire to reclaim that lost connection. 

During her stay in Kenya, she asked her parents to speak to her only in Kikuyu, slowly relearning the language and rebuilding a sense of cultural grounding.

Music, however, has remained her anchor.

Macharia grew up in a household that encouraged artistic expression. 

She began piano lessons at a young age, later picked up guitar, and gained confidence through choir performances in high school. 

Initially inclined toward mathematics and physics, she once considered a future in engineering before discovering that music could also be pursued academically.

She enrolled at Kenyatta University in 2018, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Music in 2020. Alongside her studies, she worked extensively in performance, composition, and musical theatre, gaining hands-on experience that prepared her for further training abroad.

In Manchester, she continued to build her career beyond the classroom. She worked in the arts sector, taught music at a youth centre, and later joined Contact Theatre as an engagement and alumni coordinator. 

She also performed at established venues, appeared in festivals, and was selected as a Soundcheck Artiste at the Manchester Jazz Festival.

Despite the exposure, Macharia says she is still discovering her artistic voice. Her sound blends Kenyan folk influences with jazz, opera, choral traditions, and contemporary elements. 

She writes and performs in English, Kiswahili, and Kikuyu, choosing language based on emotion and storytelling.

She is currently developing an EP inspired by themes of displacement, longing, and self-discovery. Though she has yet to release recorded original music publicly, she says the project reflects a clearer, more confident sense of self.

As part of her Arts Council England grant, Macharia is required to stage a performance in Kenya. This weekend, she will hold her homecoming show at the Rooftop Gallery at Village Market in Nairobi—an important milestone in her evolving career.

While acknowledging the challenges facing grassroots musicians in Kenya, including limited funding and performance spaces, Macharia remains optimistic. 

Inspired by the open-mic culture she encountered in the UK, she hopes to help cultivate similar creative spaces back home.

“Music at the grassroots may not always be lucrative,” she says, “but persistence matters. Opportunities come when you keep going.”

To young artistes feeling pressured to abandon creative dreams, her message is simple: “Your dreams are valid. If you love music, pursue it honestly.”

For now, Macharia is home—listening, relearning, and creating. Soon, she will return to the UK to continue building her career, carrying Kenya with her in new ways.

And when she speaks about the future, her ambition is clear.