Cecilia Wairimu (born 28 November 1980), better known by her stage name Amani, is a Kenyan singer and songwriter. Her contributions to the Kenyan music industry have earned her several coveted accolades, including the Best Female category at the 2009

MTV Africa Music Awards The MTV Africa Music Awards (also known as the MAMAs) were established in 2008 by MTV Networks Africa (now Viacom International Media Networks Africa) to celebrate the most popular contemporary music in Africa. The 2008 and 2010 events took pla ...

Pearl of Africa Music Awards The Pearl of Africa Music Awards (also known as the PAM Awards) was an annual national music award event held in Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan ...

Kisima Awards The Kisima Music Awards is an annual awards program that recognises musical talent in East Africa. Despite being Kenyan-based the scheme awards artists from a variety of countries, predominantly Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, and incorporates a ran ...

and Chaguo La Teeniez Awards. She released her debut album in 2006.

Career

Beginnings

Amani attended Bishop Gatimu Ngandu Girls High School, where she was part of the accapella group Sobriety. She signed a record deal with

Ogopa Deejays Ogopa Deejays are a Kenyan music production team and record label formed in the late 1990s who gained regional fame and popularity due to standards of their production work. Background The people behind Ogopa DJs are brothers Francis and L ...

in 1999, right after graduating from high school. She enrolled at the United States International University in 2000 and studied international business administration.

Career breakthrough: 200006; ''Tamani''

Her debut single "Move On" was a radio hit. She released her follow-up singles "Tahidi" and "Papii" in 2001.The Standard, October 30, 2009
Amani’s road to the top
/ref> Her 2002 collaboration with Nameless, titled "Ninanoki", was a major national hit. Her later singles include "Talk to You" (featuring Patonee and Big Pin), "Bad Boy" (featuring Nyashinski of

Kleptomaniax Kleptomaniax is a rap group from Nairobi, Kenya. The group consists of three members: Roba (Robert Manyasa), Collo (Collins Majale) and Nyashinski (Nyamari Ongegu). Kleptomaniax were formed in 1999, when they were still high school students at the ...

), Usiwe Mbali (featuring AY), "Tamani", "Missing My Baby", and "Tonight". She is currently the brand Ambassador for Airtel Kenya. Her debut album, ''Tamani'', was released in 2006.The Standard, Pulse Magazine, August 8, 2008
Amani:
/ref> She has toured in the United States, Norway, Germany, United Kingdom, Namibia, Tanzania, and Uganda. Moreover, she has performed in Dubai, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Liberia and Djibouti.

2010present: Grand comeback to music industry

In 2010, Amani was featured on "Hands Across The World", a song written and produced by

R Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwid ...

. The song serves as the first release for the African supergroup One 8, composed of Amani,

Ali Kiba Ali Saleh Kiba (born 1986), best known as Ali Kiba or sometimes King Kiba, is a Tanzanian singer and songwriter. He is from Kigoma and the owner of Kings Music label. Ali Kiba released his album ''Cinderella'' which broke record as the best- ...

, Navio,

Fally Ipupa Fally Ipupa N'simba (born December 14, 1977), known by his stage name Fally Ipupa, is a Congolese singer-songwriter, dancer, philanthropist, guitarist and producer. From 1999 until 2006, he was a member of Quartier Latin International, the music ...

, 2face Idibia, JK,

4x4 Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

, and Movaizhaleine. Described as "an uplifting ballad" by Billboard's Diane Coetzer, the song was released by Rockstar 4000 Music Entertainment. In 2013, she worked with Uganda's dancehall duo

Radio & Weasel Radio & Weasel is a Ugandan dynamic Duo under Goodlyfe Crew a Ugandan music group with lead performers being singers Moses Radio (born Moses Nakintije Ssekibogo) and easel Manizo(born Douglas Mayanja). Moses Radio provided smooth RnB vocals wh ...

to release the song "Kiboko Changu", which serves as the lead single off her latest album. In 2015, she released the single "Kizungu Zungu". In July 2015, she released the reggae and dancehall-influenced song "Heartbreaker". Its music video was shot at

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...

's Garden Estate and officially released on 8 September 2015. Cecilia Wairimu got born again in 2018 with 'My God' and 'Upendo' being some of her songs as a born again Christian. This new leaf came as both a surprise and shock to her fans but she stated she was there to stay.

Discography

Singles and studio albums

Awards and nominations

Recognitions

* Pure and Natural Most Inspiring Young Woman 2010. * Pearl of Africa Music Award-Best Female Artist 2010

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amani 1980 births Living people People from Kiambu County 21st-century Kenyan women singers Alumni of Bishop Gatimu Ngandu Girls High School Kisima Music Award winners