Nameless (musician)

David Mathenge (born August 1, 1976) better known by his stage name Nameless, is a Kenyan pop artist.

David Mathenge (AKA Nameless)
Birth nameDavid Mathenge
Born (1976-08-01) 1 August 1976
Nairobi ’, Kenya
GenresAfropop
Occupation(s)Musician, Songwriter, Architect
InstrumentsKeyboard, sampler, Guitar
Years active1999 –present

Biography

Mathenge was educated at Strathmore School,[1] He rose to fame in 1999 through a star-search contest on Kenya's urban music station 98.4 Capital FM, which he won with his original song "Megarider." The song was about a penniless young man who is trying to seduce a woman but only has enough money for Kenya Bus tickets, and not the rich lifestyle she desires. He later recorded the track with producer Tedd Josiah and it went on to be hot on the charts for weeks. This was the turning point in his musical career. He went on to sign with the Ogopa Deejays label in 2001 and collaborated with artists such as the late E-Sir on "Boomba Train," and Amani on the regional hit "Ninanoki" in 2002, which broke Kenyan chart records by remaining on the charts at number one for nearly four months.

He is regarded as one of modern music pioneers in Kenya alongside his wife Wahu Kagwi.

He has gone on tour across the East African region and in the U.S.A and U.K. In 2004, he released his debut album On Fire. In 2004, Mathenge married Ogopa Deejays label mate Wahu Kagwi. They have two daughters, Tumiso who was born in 2006, and Nyakio born in 2013. He is also an architect and graduated from the University of Nairobi.

South African pop group Jamali's wildly popular song "Maisha" was the subject of so much controversy with allegations that Jamali had stolen the song from Nameless. The dispute was settled when Jamali released their CD/DVD of Yours Fatally and credited Nameless as one of the writers of "Maisha".

Nameless has been featured in a song with the Kansoul, " Moto Wa Kuotea Mbali" which received favourable reviews.

In August 2007, he appeared on the list of 100 most influential Kenyans as selected by The Standard newspaper.[2][3]

Awards

Won

Nominations

References
  1. "Unique learning that nurtures discipline and talent". Standardmedia.co.ke. 2011-06-14. Retrieved 2011-08-04.
  2. The Standard, August 21, 2007: 100 most influential Kenyans
  3. The Standard, August 21, 2007: 100 most influential Kenyans - Entertainment
  4. "Kisima Awards winners 2006". Archived from the original on 2009-04-08. Retrieved 2007-09-15.
  5. Ugandaonline.net: PAM Awards 2006 Winners Archived 2012-12-04 at Archive.today
  6. Tanzania Music Awards: 2007 winners Archived 2008-10-02 at the Wayback Machine
  7. Museke: Channel O Music Video Awards 2007 winners Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
  8. Museke: PAM Awards Winners 2008 Archived 2009-04-18 at the Wayback Machine
  9. Kisima Music Awards: 2008 Kisima Music Awards winners Archived 2009-12-12 at the Wayback Machine
  10. Daily Nation, Buzz Magazine, April 12, 2009: The Kilimanjaro Awards 2009:The highs and lows Archived 2012-02-27 at the Wayback Machine
  11. Museke: MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs) 2009 winners Archived 2009-10-13 at the Wayback Machine
  12. Yeahbo.net, Kora Wards 2004 Archived 2005-01-06 at the Wayback Machine
  13. Tanzania Music Awards - Nominees 2005
  14. africa.bizcommunity.com: Channel O Award nominees released Archived 2012-07-01 at Archive.today
  15. Museke: MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs) 2009 nominees Archived 2009-10-14 at the Wayback Machine
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.