Nikita Kering
Nikita Kering’, the 23-year-old R&B powerhouse from Nairobi, is proving that a Kenyan passport can open global airwaves. Raised on gospel harmonies and slipping into studio booths by age three, she broke through with 2018’s “Happy with You,” then vaulted to streaming stardom when her 2021 single “Ex” became one of Kenya’s most-played tracks on Spotify. Her debut EP A Side of Me arrived the same year, pairing silken falsettos with confessional lyrics that critics likened to a young H.E.R.
Awards followed fast: two AFRIMAs in 2019 including Revelation of the African Continent and Best R&B/Soul Artist in 2021, plus the distinction of being the youngest performer at Nairobi’s Women in Music concert series. Apple Music cemented her rising-star status by selecting her as the first East African artist for its Africa Rising spotlight. Now splitting time between acting classes and studio sessions for a full-length album, Kering’ also mentors schoolgirls through music-education clinics and campaigns for fair streaming royalties so African artists can bank on their own catalogs. With a voice that drapes effortlessly over Afrobeats, soul, and acoustic ballads, she is primed to turn local acclaim into a continental chart reign while keeping Kenya at the heart of her story.