When music streaming platform Spotify last week released the list of the Kenyan songs with the most international streams in the first half of the year, one name sat at the top of the pile.
Singer-songwriter and percussionist, Idd Aziz, tops the 2025 Global Impact List thanks to his collaborations with DJs and record producers around the world.
“It makes sense because we have been pushing the culture for many years,” says Aziz during an online interview this week from Norway where he is currently based for the summer festivals and concerts. “I am in a quiet little town just outside Oslo in the midst of nature and the birds singing, the best atmosphere to create music,” he says.
As he explains, Afro House has been thriving for a long time away from the mainstream, but the genre gained popular attention during the Covid-19 pandemic. “Producers and big labels realised the appeal of the genre and the popularity catapulted it into the mainstream,” he says.
Idd Aziz’s vocals can be heard on six of the 30 songs on the Spotify Global Impact List, including Time (Mimi) with German producer Dhali which tops the list and a collaboration with the Lebanese duo of Anthony Keyrouz and Sleiman Damien, Mentuliza.
Singer-songwriter and percussionist Idd Aziz performs during the March edition of the Godown Gig held at the Godown Arts Center on March 2, 2019.
Photo credit: Francis Nderitu | Nation Media Group
He also appears on Tu Ta Le with duo of Belgian producer Hoax and Merchant who is Jamaican, Nihurumie with Swedish Naarly and Tabza De Soul from South Africa and Manga with Italian Leo Guardo and Haitian Madmix. His project with Marc Moon Nairobi is also in the list.
“My voice just automatically suits the genre because I sing in a very unique cultural style influenced by my Mijikenda roots and so producers from different countries have been asking me to sing on their tracks,” he explains.
Aziz’s intonation of rhythms principally in the Giriama language, with the occasional Kiswahili, laid over electronic-house beats, is spell-binding “My dad was a percussionist and singer at the Bomas of Kenya, so I literally grew up exposed to a diversity of homegrown cultures,” he says.
“It is a pity that we have such strong heritage of music but we fail to make the most of it creatively,” he asserts. “Producers and DJs around the world have discovered the beauty of blending electronic beats with authentic African melodies.”
Aziz’s reputation is such that he now receives up to 200 emails daily from producers and record labels sending their tracks for him to create vocals.
“I have never met most of these guys that I work with, they just send their tracks and trust me to create something special. I don’t choose based on who is a big name and who is not,” he says. “I am willing to give everyone a chance and that is why you hear me jumping on tracks with DJs who are widely known and those who may not be that popular.”
It is not a surprise that Aziz was an early convert to Afro House because, as he says, he has always challenged himself to get ahead of the curve amid the rapidly evolving musical trends.
Singer-songwriter and percussionist Idd Aziz performs during the Pawa Festival concert along Koinange Street in Nairobi on December 20, 2015.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
“I am always about research so that I can be part of emerging movements quickly,” he notes. “Our cultural sounds are very versatile and we have a lot to say because these are our ancestors’ gift to us.”
Despite misgivings about pay-out models by the streaming platforms, Aziz says the technology has made the business of music transparent and convenient.
Artistes are no longer at the mercy of labels and so there is a more equitable splitting of revenues because “we can all see the figures and monitor the reach of our music”. Aziz himself is an independent artiste though by virtue of his collaborations, his music is released by various labels across the world.
He points out that as an artiste, his main focus is on creativity and not necessarily the streaming data. “Artistes must remain focused on perfecting craft and as a consequence you will earn the visibility. Be passionate on your creativity and respect the process,” he advises.
Aziz is enjoying the dividends of a career that has included stints as the percussionist with Sauti Sol, and performing with iconic stars like Angelique Kidjo, Salif Keita and Alpha Blondy.
Singer-songwriter and percussionist Idd Aziz performs on drums during Showcase Wednesday at the Alliance Française Gardens in Nairobi on March 6, 2019.
Photo credit: Francis Nderitu | Nation Media Group
“Through these giants, I learnt that the art of music is a spiritual experience, more than fame and numbers,” he reflects. “As long as you are making good music, you will eventually be where you want to be.”
Spotify data shows that his more than 1.1 million monthly listeners span cities from Athens to Amsterdam, Lisbon to Istanbul, and Casablanca — but Aziz remains noncommittal on whether he can replicate that appeal in Kenya.
“Yes, charity begins at home, but the whole world is my home,” he says. “It would be selfish of me just to concentrate on Kenya because the music cannot just be seen through the narrow prism of borders.”
