As the best of fairy tales and legends begin - Once upon A Time - there Once was a Princess. A Princess who knew from the start she would be Queen. The microphone her scepter, the stage her throne.
And with that cardboard-feeling-pink-and-powder-blue-painted-story-book-cover intro… I present…Once Upon A Song. The show - meant to introduce CeCe the G.O.A.T & her new project (the aptly named Sisi: The EP to her audience) - took place at Moov Cafe, Kilimani on the evening of Sunday 30 March 2025.
Cece The G.O.A.T is an artist who intrigues me. Probably one of the few who’ve inspired my own art ‘in reverse’. ‘In reverse’ because she calls me one of her ‘mentors’, while she’s actually one of the ones who’ve given me a sort of ‘second wind’ as far as believing that this Art that I love – that I was sort of jaded about – is still alive. She reps the 111 (Ngong Town, for the uninitiated).
In my opinion, she’s made all the right moves so far – mainly because she’s an old soul speaking to her generation in a young (read: Gen Z) voice. Okay, that’s oversimplifying it; what she actually is is the perfect blend of what you get when you mix the discipline of old (learning her craft patiently, identifying the right people to learn from, actually being good enough to get noticed by the who’s who in the industry right now - & remaining professional while at it) & the energy of The Now (her versatile style will find her in sultry RnB pockets while "Drillin' it" to the earth's core in the same breath.
Like every classic (song, movie, play), however, needs a strong co-star. CeCe couldn't have picked better than The Talented Mr. Kimemia - better known as HR The Messenger. This award-winning multi-hyphenate was the thunder to CeCe's lightning - creating the perfect storm in which we were gladly drenched with notes & poetry.
I got a moment with CeCe after her performance to get her perspective of the event:
Congratulations La Mbuzi on an amazing show! What was your highlight of the show?
First of, Thank You! My highlight was definitely the audience reception and the positive feedback. It was so affirming!! I also loved the recreation process of making the music live. It’s very different from creating for studio. It was super intense but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also got to dance for the first time on stage which was such a vibe!!!
You occupy a unique position of being equally elite in singing & rapping (meaning, it’s difficult to tell which you’re better at). Who are your 5 favorite KE Vocalists?
Those would have to be, in no particular order (Editor’s note: we’ll make it alphabetical), Bien, Brandy Maina, Charisma, Robeny & Teslah.
Hmm. That’s quite the eclectic list that I’m sure you could very easily hang with. What about Favorite Rappers to Work With?
I’ll do a ‘Past, Present, Future’ a.k.a those I’ve already worked with, those I’m currently working with & those on my wish list: Femi One, HR The Messenger, Nyashinski & Scar Mkadinali…and you of course.
That’s a formidable list – definitely collabs that already sound interesting. What’s your favorite song on Sisi: The EP?
HR The Messenger and I have a song on the project called 'Late Night' and I'm super excited about how we announced it with a live rendition. The project is set to drop real soon on all platforms and I'm just grateful I got a chance to connect with my fans before they can listen to the tracks ✨✨
I agree! That performance is what I remember best (while marooned on a Long Island of Iced Teas)...The synchrony & chemistry amongst y'all was hypnotic; some of the best I've seen in a while. Tell me more about how it is working with HR.
He's one of them ones fr! I'm so honoured he agreed to do the show with me and how committed he was to making it a success. He was also so supportive when things got difficult and I genuinely think he is such a blessing to the music industry. I look forward to our track as well as many more future projects.
Amen to that! Any other folks you’d want to shout out?
- Steve Kanja who was the organiser and music director of the show. He really helped curate the music for a live audience.
- My band members Wathigo (drums), Bett (sax), Akostician (strings) and Shakur (bass). They are music geniuses for real and working with them was such an honour!
- My BGVs Natasha and Robeny who elevated the show with their amazing voices! I think they are so gifted and I’m so grateful they came on stage with me and also individually did their thing.
Any last words?
I’m simply in awe of how many people showed up just to show love. Everyone who came blessed my soul ❤️.
Ken’s Final Word:
I have been privileged to see CeCe – at a relatively ‘young’ musical age barely show signs of being a novice but rather, showing us what her future looks like now. Really looking forward to CeCe in Sisi The EP. For those of us who are believers that the KE industry is looking ever the brighter because of acolytes like this, Hii ni yetu, CeCe (Sisi)!😉
