From backing stars to headlining: Jukebox band breaks out

The trio of musicians who have played on recordings and concerts by some of Kenya’s top contemporary acts including Nikita Kering, Charisma, Nvirii, Watendawili, and Bensoul are stepping out of the shadows to showcase their own repertoire which includes an exciting mash up of different hits.

“It is a bit like a DJ playing songs, only that with us, we are actually playing the music live and the artistes are appearing in person, one after another, performing their songs,” explains Gavy Mbehero, 27, keyboardist and music director of Jukebox.

His bandmate MJ recalls the group’s performance at last year’s Sol Fest, the annual event established by Sauti Sol. “We kept the crowd on their feet for an hour and a half with a set that we curated featuring the best of the arbantone genre performing their hit songs without any interruption.”

That set included back-to-back performances by the biggest stars in the genre like Ssaru, Breeder LW, Tipsy Gee, Maandy, Wadagliz, and Boutross. ‘We made the crowd forget about Sauti Sol for an hour and a half,” quips MJ.

Jukebox are now ready for their first ever headline show which offers them a platform to establish their name, beyond their well-earned reputation within the industry, to the wider public.

Themed “One Stage, One Band, Endless Collabs”, the show is divided into two sets: The first involves the band playing a collection of hits, from Kenyan urban music of the 2000s, mainly those produced by Ogopa DJs, to reggae/dancehall and current amapiano and arbantone hits.

“We strip the songs off elements like the bass, drums and keyboards which we then play in real-time, so essentially, we have a mix of music that is both live and pre-recorded,” explains Gavy.

The second set features a stellar line up of artistes most of whom are no strangers to the band, including Nikita, Bensoul, Charisma, Kedong Klan, Ayrosh, each performing a track then segueing to the next artiste.

According to Gavy, the setup is very fluid allowing each performer to do more than one song, or to return to the stage a second time.

“Kenyans lose interest so fast, so it is a challenge to hit them with an aura of excitement that keeps their attention for the period of a concert,” says MJ.

MJ and Gavy met as members of their high school Christian Union band, and after completing school they started their own group in 2018 along with three other musicians.

Their progress was cut short when the pandemic hit in late 2019 effectively shutting down all gigs which forced the young musicians to go their separate ways.

They reunited as the present trio, Gavy, MJ and Brandon, in 2022 with a fresh determination to cut a niche for themselves in the music circles. “We realised that it was not going to be easy to make a breakthrough as a young, unknown band but we put in the work and the big artistes took notice,” says Gavy.

Some of those big guns included the Sauti Sol who at the time were fronting their Sol Generation stable of artistes, Bensoul, Nikita Kering, Nviiri, Charisma, Njerae and Xenia Manasseh.

How has Jukebox established its credentials as the go-to band for some of the most successful artistes in Kenya?

“We benchmark with the best musicians in the world,” says Gavy, offering the example of The Compozers, the UK-based Ghanian band known for their high-energy blend of Afrobeat, highlife and contemporary music.

He also credits their individual and collective work ethic which he reckons has enabled them to meet the demands of all the artistes they work with.

MJ adds that it is absurd to have Nigerian band Alternate Sound that have made a name for themselves playing renditions of popular Kenyan genres like Gengetone and Arbantone.

“You know Kenyan audiences will often embrace foreigners at the expense of their own, so we have to play our music to the highest standards and prove that we are just as good as the best,” he says.

What lessons have they have learned from working with diverse high caliber artistes? “Each artiste is different,” observes Gavy. “Most male performers trust us to use our knowledge and skills to develop the music, while the female artistes are mostly keen on the details and will often want to closely supervise you and let you know when they hear what they like or don’t like.”

MJ sums it up: “There are different attitudes, different personalities, but it also helps that these artistes have worked together before so they know each other. It is a close-knit group which makes curating the show a little easier than if we were total strangers.”

Jukebox presents the Ultimate Mash Up on 24 August 2025 at Masshouse, Ngong Road in Nairobi, starting 8pm.

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