Jacksam Kibandi: Arume hatuwezeki hit-maker, twenty album musical journey

Best known for the hit song ‘Arume Hatuwezeki’ driven by an opening killer riff, Jacksam Kibandi is one of Kikuyu Music’s most unique and gifted composers.  His songs, ooze with advice targeted at his listeners and delivered in forms of stories.  His songs put the audience in the shoes of the protagonists and antagonists in the song, to better convey the message.

Growing up as a young boy in Wanjohi village in Kipipiri Nyandarua, Kibandi had an inherent love of 70s, 80s and early 90s Kikuyu music.  In those eras DK Kamau, John Ndichu, were Kibandi’s musical role models. He also loved to play the harmonica. But it’s in 2002 Kibandi recorded his first album ‘wahenirio na thuiti’ having worked as a sign writer for a transport company for over 10 years.

Unlike many novice musicians starting out their music careers in the murky River Road Nairobi, Kibandi was guided by the one Mark Kamande wa Kioi.  After listening to Kibandi’s songs Kamande showed him the right studio to record his music and recommended instrumentalists to play in the record. To Kibandi, this was critical as he has witnessed new musicians get duped by low end producers and end up releasing a sub standard album. “If you lack a guide album quality can be compromised,” he said.

The song that however brought Kibandi some recognition within Kikuyu music scene was released in 2003 title ‘Nyumba cia town single 10 by 10.’ The song chronicles how people live in urban areas crammed in small single rooms.  However ‘Arume Hatuwezeki’ song brought Kibandi to mainstream Kikuyu audience in album 13 released in 2010. The song’s video features the late Olympic marathon runner Samuel Kamau Wanjiru dancing alongside Kibandi. The song has veiled references to the late Kamau Wanjiru rising from abject poverty to winning a coveted Olympic medal.

Inspiration for the song came after Kibandi compared current generation of men to those of yester years.  Kibandi observed current generation of men is spineless and not persevering when facing problems like former generations. “I see young men with potential drink and black out on trenches and it saddens me,” observed Kibandi.  He added real men stand up to challenges and faces them soberly which positions them to lead a home.  Tunes in his song come from emotions the songs message brings out when Kibandi composes.  However like many of his contemporaries songs come out of the blues sometimes especially when he is psyched up in a quiet environment.

“I like my songs to be unique but simple to the audience,” said Kibandi.  From what he composes he works with instrumentalists to play the song in the most fitting way.  Composing for him is a process he took 2 weeks on Arume Hatuwezeki after going through several drafts and perfecting.  “A song is like a sculpture, I revise it until there is nothing more to add then I book the studio,” he said. He uses his acoustic guitar to aid in compositions.

“It’s good for musicians to learn instruments,” he added.  Studying is also key for him as he composes and sees it important for a serious musician to have a library at home in order to improve his songwriting. Kibandi says his music is for live performances as even productions are done with live instruments. “Our fans want to hear a band playing like it sounds on CDs,” said Kibandi.

He has performed in venues like Blue Springs and Turacco Village along Thika road and Visa Place Rongai which he rates as a stand out gig he still remembers as it was packed and the fans energized.  During festive periods, Kibandi performs every weekend and during weekdays he runs his clothes business at Gikomba. He has also for the last seven years been the Chairman of the 200 member United Artists Welfare Group (UAWG) comprising of Kikuyu and Kamba musicians.

He has mentored artistes like Kuruga wa Wanjiku, Mukuria wa Njeri, Jeremy Kinyozi, Franco wa Subu and others.  His guidance has been on an artiste perfecting his songwriting skills. UAWG works to nurture new Kikuyu musicians and guide them to avoid them getting into pitfalls that plague new artistes in River Road.  Musicians in the group guide the budding ones on issues like song arrangements.  For Kibandi working with new artistes enriches even a veteran artiste as well. “If you ignore a new artiste, GOD may uplift him higher than you, and you may need him then,” he said.

Reflecting on his career Kibandi admits were it not for piracy, music can be financially rewarding. “If I sell one album 99 are being pirated,” he added.  Regardless he has of all his twenty albums sold over 100,000 copies.  His latest album is “Mwongoyo” currently a hit in all Kikuyu radio stations.  He laments how mentally taxing it is to compose only for someone to pirate. “No wonder musicians live long,” he adds with a chuckle.  According to him if a banana thief can be prosecuted why can’t a music pirate.

Nevertheless he urges Diaspora fans to invite them to perform overseas.  “We are open to performing if we get the chance,” said Kibandi. “It will grow the Kenyan economy and uplift our lives,” he said. As to how he has managed to be so prolific since venturing to music in 2002. Kibandi says he had written some albums in the early 90s but due to financial strains had to wait up to 2002 to produce them.  Scarcity of good producers also slowed him as well as these days musicians are the ones who market their music unlike in yester years.  “New album promotion and marketing is a challenge,” he said. 

The married father of three is of the view that the current music scene needs someone to scout all the studios looking for new albums to be played on the mainstream media. His aim is to emulate the veteran Kikuyu musician Wanganangu who released his first album in 1940s yet some of his albums have individually sold over 100,000 copies and his songs remain timeless classics in Kikuyu music scene.

To Book Jacksam Call Him on +254 722 516 673

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