Locals Only: Elsy Wameyo

Elsy Wameyo is a disrupter. Dialling in from Kenya, the multi-award-winning star waxes lyrical about self-discovery, the importance of Northern Sound System and what to expect at AdeLOUD

Interview by Zara Richards // Photos by Briann Kinywa

You’re playing AdeLOUD on November 16! What should we expect from your set?

I always tell people to expect the unexpected. My music reflects my journey, and my journey differs. I’ve travelled across the world; I’ve been in Australia as a black woman. Some pieces are energetic, where you’ll jump up and down, but at some point, I’ll make you want to cry with a ballad. I always want people to be open and listen. But it’s a lot of fun. If you’re ready for it, you’ll have a good time.

You released your debut album, Saint Sinner, in July. How have you evolved as an artist between this record and your 2022 EP, Nilotic?

The past few years have been quite progressive. This album is a very personal and introspective project, and I think the growth has only happened because I’ve allowed myself to continue to sit in that space. I’ve always been that artist who creates from within. I don’t create to feed someone’s desire.

I feel like I exposed, to some extent, the way I think, the way I feel and my view on people and life. But my goal was to put myself in a position where I could be a reflection for someone. The world [can] swallow us, and we’re pushed to a place where you feel you should act a certain way. I wanted people to [listen] and think, ‘It’s OK to put my head up and say that’s not right or I feel this way.’ It’s a blessing to see people reciprocating and loving what’s coming through. That’s all I ask for.

Saint Sinner grapples with identity. Do you feel clearer about who you are as a person on the other side of the album?

I’m working towards that for sure. I don’t think I’ll ever find a place where I’m content because I’ve learned that I am human and things change. You have your highs and lows – you can’t run away from that. But I will say I’m closer with every song, every lyric and every word. You listen to Saint Sinner and you hear an assertive Elsy who knows what she wants to say and how to say it. I’ve realised that identity is not necessarily connected to a place. That’s something I’ve always struggled with – I don’t belong to Australia; I don’t belong to Kenya. I’m floating amidst the ocean. But identity doesn’t lie in any one or any thing. I’m just simply Elsy Wameyo – take me or leave it.

You returned to Kenya to make this record. How did this impact the direction of the album?

Coming back, initially, wasn’t even for the music – it was for my sanity. [In Australia], I was doing three tours, which was crazy because it was my first ever time. It was not healthy. Once Nilotic did what it did, a veil almost lifted. I could see how toxic the industry could be and what it’s like to feel like a commodity.

I just wanted to run as far as I could. When you go into an environment where no one knows you, you can do and be you. As soon as you step out of ‘home’ and see the world, you realise there are many talented people in Australia, but this world is big. There are so many skills to learn. Being in Kenya and outside of Australia, I learned so much that I wouldn’t have if I had stayed. We were able to create a new sound simply because I was in a new environment.

In Australia, you grew up in Northern Sound System (NSS). How important are youth institutions like this in creating access and new music?

Communities that have less access [are] spaces where there’s authentic music. They are creating such unique and specific journeys. But I think the industry doesn’t understand how they benefit from that. We’re bringing value to the art that’s not from your regular mainstream. It’s like a symbiotic relationship – open the door, and we’ll give you authentic, good music.

We need places like NSS for people to flourish because all an artist needs is a space – whether it’s a computer or a guitar or someone saying, ‘You can do this’. That’s what NSS was for me. It was people in the industry saying, ‘You can do whatever you want in this world.’ That changes a child’s mind; it changes a child’s life. That’s why I am where I am today – I was simply told that I can do it.

See Elsy Wameyo perform at AdeLOUD alongside Genesis Owusu and more on November 16. Tickets on sale now.