Celebrated Kenyan musician Nyamari Ongegu alias Nyashinski has opened up about his life in the United States for close to 10 years.
Despite his rising star before he left, the “Hayawani” hitmaker says he was excited to move to the US.
Nyashinski was part of the Kleptomaniacs music group when he left with his family at a time when his music career had begun to pick up.
“I was happy to leave Kenya. I had started getting tired of keeping up with the momentum of releasing good music. Plus the allure of the US we saw in movies was enticing,” the singer says.
He says the feeling of relocating to a new part of the world where no one knew him was refreshing.
After arriving in America, his parents wanted him to pursue a course at the university but he was opposed to the idea. He decided to find a job and make cash.
He says: “I just wanted to look for work and start making money.”
His wish came true after a fellow Kenyan helped him get a job where he delivered transaction proofs-slips to banks.
“Many Kenyans do that job over there. I was getting $900 per week.”
“It was a full day’s job. I lived with a little dog, and the money sustained me just fine, though the living expenses were higher there than here,” he explains.
Later, his brother-in-law, who lived in Dallas, helped him to secure another job as a truck driver.
The rapper says together with his brother-in-law, they were able to save good money since the job was paying well. Through their savings, they purchased their own truck.
During his free time, the singer says he would go to the studio as music still lingered in his mind. Kenyan musicians would often seek his help in composing songs.
He was reluctant to return to Kenya until singer Nameless visited him in the US and convinced him to return home.
“I thought about coming back home real hard. I knew that music was my talent and at the end of the day, I would have to answer to God if I didn’t use it again,” he recalls.
With the blessings of his parents, Ongegu returned to Kenya in 2016 before staging a music comeback months later.
He told his parents about it an with their blessings Nyashinski came back and picked up from where he had left off.
His comeback was signaled by his hit dubbed Now You Know, which became fans’ favorite.
He has since released many hits such as Malaika, Bebi Bebi, Mungu Pekee, and Hello.
He has also done collaborations with popular singers including Sauti Sol.