Sipangwingwi hitmaker opens up on music journey
By Josephine NjorogeKenyan rapper Trio Mio, born TJ Mario Kasela, who recently hit the headlines by redefining the gengetone scene now says he discovered before he was in his teens.
In an interview with Daniel Ndambuki, the superstar adds he never realized it would be a big deal when he was rehearsing music tunes and lyrics in primary school.
“I know when I say this nobody believes but at the time, yes, I had recognized I could rap but I wasn’t that into it. In 2015, when I was in class 5 I didn’t concentrate so much on the art, and life continued without giving much thought to it,” he explained.
“So some time in class in 2016, a teacher asked me what I could do that was special other than just getting in trouble, and I told them to just hear me out, so I stepped to the front of the class and started rapping, most of which didn’t make sense or comprised of insults. Later, in 2017, I became a good songwriter and started writing my own music,” he said.
Trio Mio also disclosed that when he started writing his music, he would compose them in English, then later switched to Kiswahili upon meeting difficulty in the language. “I genuinely recognized that I had this talent when I was bored in school. I used to write my songs in English then I came to realize that English just isn’t for everyone. So I slowly started shifting to Kiswahili,” said the rapper.
The artist further detailed how he started his music career, giving credit to his elder brother who according to the star was a big part of his growth in the music industry.
“One day I found my brother at home with a couple of his friends. He had interest in music, too, but I wasn’t aware that he did. So his friends were helping him compose a song using YouTube beats. I told them that I too could rap and I wanted to try, but they didn’t believe I had the talent to rap at such a young age. I insisted that they give me a chance, and they gave me a beat, I freestyle and they were quite impressed.”
“My brother has been my biggest supporter for, ever since he learned that I could rap he would take to the studio and I would record demos, and after class eight, many people were demanding to see a video, which we tried recording but failed,” he said.
The artist added that he took his mother’s car in order to shoot his first video, but was met with obstacles as it ran out of fuel in the middle of the highway on his way to shoot, which is how his first video failed.
He also disclosed his experience shaving bald, which was as a result of his music video prior to school opening.
“At the time, I had a haircut that was not acceptable in school because it was purposefully for the video. When I went back home that evening after the music video shoot failed, school was only two days away, so my head was shaved bald,” Trio Mio, known for his Sipangwingwi hit, said.