Now married for 10 years, famous person gospel couple singer Evelyn Wanjiru and tune manufacturer and director Agundabweni Akweyu are large at the leisure scene.
They’re low-key and are hardly noticed in social areas, best letting their occupation exploits talk for them.
From working a manufacturing solid, Bwenieve, and webhosting gospel’s largest annual tune extravaganza, Reward Environment, the couple has additionally hosted mega excursions in the USA and throughout Africa.
It wasn’t at all times that approach, then again.
Now with God’s favour, status and fortune beckoning them as the brand new face of Kenyan gospel, the couple recollects their humble beginnings.
So making an attempt used to be Evelyn’s upbringing that she by no means dreamt of stepping out of her Nakuru neighbourhood to search for alternatives within the large town of lighting.
“When I used to be recording my debut unmarried, Mazingira, an environmental music, again within the day, my good friend needed to take a mortgage of Sh7,000. Existence used to be actual tricky rising up and this is why I inform other folks they will have to now not despise humble beginnings. By no means omit how a long way you’ve got come,” Evelyn stated.
“When my husband, a church mate then, requested me for our first date, he used to be as blunt as they arrive. He advised me, to my face, that he wasn’t searching for a female friend, however a spouse. I used to be stunned. I requested him if he may stay up for 4 years . I used to be pondering, as it is not uncommon with many males, that he wouldn’t have the endurance. He obliged and he did,” she says.
Come their marriage ceremony day, it wasn’t the dream marriage ceremony a maiden would need for. It used to be a birthday party devoid of bling and glamour, an afternoon after they merely sought after to be united in holy matrimony as guy and spouse.
Overlook the hundreds of thousands which might be concerned within the making plans and execution of famous person weddings and the hype that includes it, theirs used to be a easy do owing to their monetary standing.
“We were given reinforce from some buddies and in general controlled to boost Sh75,000. In truth, the remaining Sh10,000 got here within the eleventh hour. We used Sh50,000 on meals for the visitors, and Sh14,000 for the tents and seats.
“We needed to ask a contract photographer, those that come uninvited, to get us pictures from what he used to be doing; omit a video. Our marriage ceremony rings price Sh500, the ones ones other folks purchase at the streets or small stalls,” Evelyn says.
She speaks about God’s energy, in connection with her new unmarried, Utukufu, off the brand new venture, Mwanga.
On their marriage ceremony day, Evelyn says the good friend whose automobile they have been to make use of ‘ghosted’ them. His telephone went off and there used to be no approach to succeed in him. It took the intervention of her overdue partner’s father, who requested a church elder to assist them together with his automobile, for them to get a automobile.
“Other people with automobiles…you…Would possibly God forgive you. I do know you might be questioning in regards to the honeymoon and possibly in regards to the marriage ceremony get dressed. Smartly, the marriage get dressed used to be from a lady I had sung for right through her marriage ceremony every so often again. I used to be so tiny that the get dressed needed to be pieced in combination afresh.
“Concerning the honeymoon, this is any other tale all in combination. After the marriage held in Nairobi, we drove again to Nakuru and that’s how that tale ended. It used to be painful. It used to be a truth we needed to face,” Evelyn says.
The singer is the soulful voice in the back of widespread songs like Tunakuabudu, Nikufahamu, Mungu uu, Waweza and Jehovah Elohim.
Some weeks in the past, Evelyn and her husband, who additionally doubles up as her supervisor, returned house from their excursion of the USA, the place they held live shows in quite a lot of towns.
That used to be after conducting the recording of her new album, Mwanga, that includes each native and global stars. Her Reward Environment match is the largest annual match at the gospel scene.
“Reward Environment is among the main occasions I gave delivery to. We felt that there used to be an opening that had to be crammed within the gospel house and I will inform you that this match has a large which means to it,” Evelyn says.
The display has in recent times hosted most sensible gospel names; amongst them Zaza Mokhethi from South Africa, Michael Mahendere from Zimbabwe and celebrated Nigerian Ekwueme singer Prospa Ochimana.