Halisi is a swahili word that means authentic and that is definitely what this band stands for; authenticity. With a hit like Thum Mora Halisi the band manages to gain exactly that. This is a Kenyan afro-fusion band that working hard to bring out the african sound and we at BD are more than impressed.
As they prepare to release their new song: Sauti with Eli Sings(a Kenyan Afro-fusion wizard), we were able to link up with one of the band members i.e: Galvin Leting who was able to tell us about the band and their journey.
How did Halisi begin?
Since we are all members of the Nairobi University, we would always meet at the graduation square from time to time and perform acoustic covers to songs. We started getting recognition and a following within the school and the response was great since the fans told us we could actually do music. From there, we decided to begin the journey as a band.
Why the name Halisi?
The name Halisi is swahili for authentic and that is the sound we intend to share with the world. Initially, we were called “The Walking Band” due to the fact that we would walk around campus to and from the graduation square singing. After a while the name just didn’t cut it so we decided to go with Halisi and the name has stuck since then.
Can you tell us a little bit about the band members?
Halisi is made up of 4 members i.e: Galvin Leting who’s me; Luckey Kirwa; Austin Okore and Frank. I am 23 years old and I pursue Pure Math at the University of Nairobi, I am also the bands guitarist, vocalist and melody creator. Luckey studies Engineering and he is our singer, choreographer, melody creator and vocalist as well. Austin studies Geology and he acts as our vocalist. Frank is our guitarist and vocalist and he studies IT specifically graphic design. In fact he’s the one who designed our poster for Sauti.
So we know you’ll be releasing a new single within the week. Can you give us some details about it??
It’s calle Sauti and it’s a joint project with our mentor; Elly Sings. It’s and african peice and more of a ballad. The message is appreciating women, yaani kina dada.
It will be released across most streaming and downloading platforms i.e: SoundCloud; mdundo and the likes. At 6 pm we intend to release it on You Tube.
How did the meet collaborative project with Elly Sings come about??
We met Elly sometime back at a weekly night event which is held at the Technical University of Kenya. Elly liked our sound and took us under his wing and showed us most of the ropes as a mentor. However, last year when we were performing at an event hosted by Lumiglow (Lumiglow is a managament company)at the Alchemist bar in Westlands; Elly introduced us to the director at Lumiglow who set up a meeting with us at Java and we were able to come to an agreement and now from there everything was set. They started managing us. Elly also happens to fall under their management too and so we agreed to work together on this project.
So what next for Halisi the band??
Right now we are organising a concert that will close the year and will mark as the beginning of our brand officially. This is due to the fact that; although we have been doing gigs and getting paid for them we hadn’t really worked out the commercial aspect so that’s the intention of it all. Lakini don’t get us confused; money isn’t the motive it’s just that it’s time we took the commercial aspect seriously if we intend to make it a career.
We also have an album in the works we have 5 unreleased songs so far. It’s coming along great.
Can you expound on the album; the release date, tracklist etc??
At the moment all I can say is the fans should expect it some time next year. We are working with MG(a music producer) and Onfon media in making it. It will also be a visual album.
Before you go can you tell us a few fun facts about Halisi that fans might not know?
Haha; okay first of all before we were a band we were and still are brothers meaning the chemistry won’t die.
We love meat!!
We intend to pursue music as a career.
We are all Christians.
Thankyou for your time and all the best in your project.
Thankyou too for the interview.
For more about Halisi you can head to their fanpage on Facebook and Instagram. You can also listen to their works on You Tube and Sound Cloud.
Education is something you must do not necessarily something you love doing; music is what we love doing.
Galvin Leting
Halisi the band.
BD254 