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Appy has her eyes set on Bongo Flava superstardom
What you need to know:
- Against all odds , passion and tenacity encourage d Appy to pursue her dreams. She is now easer- focused on moulding Bongo Flava R&b
There are voices that draw one in and compel the listener to respond. A perfect description of a famous Swahili saying, ‘Sauti ya kumtoa nyoka pangoni,’ the sound of taking the snake out of its cave.
No, it’s not just the lyrics of the song. It’s the singer’s pitch and the emotions conveyed through their voice. The creative melding and mixing of tunes and rhythms such comes a bit closer to describing Happiness Mbogo’s music. One that gives you a buzz, uplifts your spirits, and improves your mood.
The up-and-coming artiste is known by her stage name of Appy. Most people recognize her euphonious, deep voice that echoes through the Swahili streets, sending messages of heartbreak and love.
Appy has been behind the Bongo Flava music curtains for over six years, but she has been honing her music skills and knowledge.
Around May 2022, she released her debut single titled ‘Jirani,” that blends RnB and Bongo Flava genres.
The song is about a nattering neighbour who can’t get enough of peeking into other people’s lives. Appy expresses her frustrations about such neighbours while questioning their behaviour.
The track opened doors to more hits such as ‘Sepa’, ‘Utanizeesha,” and ‘Moyo vs. Ubongo,” that were released in May, this year. The song is currently running the charts across the country.
‘Moyo vs. Ubongo’ is a song that reflects almost everyone’s life experiences. It’s about the indecisiveness that people experience in life. The song is about how the heart makes decisions based on sentimental emotions while the brain aligns with logic, facts, memories, and judgment.
“The song emphasizes balancing the two parts whenever we have to make realistic decisions,” she explains.
Appy’s musical journey began at an early age, when her late mother was writing music for a church choir. She would make Appy sing the lyrics out loud while the two were either in the kitchen cooking or just chilling.
“My mother passed away shortly after I turned 18, and by that time she had perfected my singing through the church choir. In her absence, quarrels began to haunt my family, leading to a fallout between my relatives and me,” shares Appy.
She says the entire situation forced her to seek residence elsewhere.
“I met Best Bupepo, who took me in as his daughter. I would not have been where I am today had it not his consistent support,” she narrates.
The two first met at the same church where Appy and her late mother used to attend. Knowing Appy’s family situation, Mr Bupepo decided to lend her a helping hand by offering her a home.
“I then joined a band to improve my singing skills. This was the first time I sang in front of a crowd that was not a choir, and it felt different. After a while, Best advised me against it because I started a bad habit of getting home late from practices and live shows,” she recalls.
He, however, connected Appy to a producer named Ibrahim Jafari and asked him to take her under his wing.
“Around the same time, I got into a business where I sold groceries like vegetables, tomatoes, and dagaa as well as thrift clothes to students at the St. Augustine University of Tanzania. The money I got helped me to cater for myself with small needs here and there,” she says.
In 2017, Ibrahim began to make arrangements to move from Mwanza to Dar es Salaam with the aim of working on himself. He asked Best to take Appy with him.
“He was willing to bet on me as his first artiste. He had already made connections with several studios he could work with because he did not have his own studio at the time,” she remembers.
When they settled in Dar es Salaam, the two began to rent different music studios for a few hours for practical vocal lessons.
“The music industry in Tanzania is insanely competitive in the sense that the people in it forget that there doesn’t have to be a few people sitting at the top,” Appy narrates.
She further explains, “When Ibrahim and I started, he had to repeatedly remind me of not giving up because while there were artistes who I witnessed working their music to fame, there were others who could not withstand the challenges of this industry, and this led them to give up. I was caught in between the two, and Ibrahim constantly told me to hold on to the shred of hope for a little bit longer.”
She has so far released five songs, including Sepa, Utanizeesha, Go Baby, and Jirani.
“I first hesitated to do R&B because it is still such a foreign genre in Tanzania. I thought people would not listen to my music because most Tanzanians are into other genres, especially amapiano and Bongo Flava. But little did I know. Ibrahim advised me to not let my self-doubt hold me back, and I am currently thankful that I listened to him,” she unfolds.
In 2022, Appy featured in the Bongo Flava Star Search (BSS), and in the same year she competed in Cloud’s Super Nyota Diva in Ubungo District, Dar es Salaam, where she became the first winner.
The same competition was conducted the second time for winners in all the districts of Dar es Salaam, and Appy emerged the second winner.
“I’m going to release my new album before the end of this year. Currently, I’m also working on refining all the songs I have recorded in the past six years when I was working on my skills,” she hints.
