View source for Sofiya Nzau

{{Short description|Kenyan singer and songwriter (born 2000)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Sofiya Nzau
| image             =
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| landscape         = yes
| birth_name        = Sofiya Wanjiku
| alias             =
| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|2000|07|13|df=y}}
| birth_place       = Miruri, [[Murang'a County]], Kenya
| origin            =
| instrument        =
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Afropop]]|[[electronic music|electronic]]}}
| occupation        = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter}}
| years_active      =
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}}
'''Sofiya Wanjiku''' (born 13 July 2000<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ayub |first=Simon |date=2024-06-03 |title=Meet Sofiya Nzau: All about the Kenyan singer who is a global hit |url=https://www.tuko.co.ke/facts-lifehacks/celebrity-biographies/550544-meet-sofiya-nzau-kenyan-singer-a-global-hit/ |access-date=2024-07-19 |website=Tuko.co.ke |language=en}}</ref>), known professionally as '''Sofiya Nzau''', is a Kenyan singer and songwriter.
==Career==
Sofiya Nzau worked as a street vendor and domestic helper in [[Thika]] from 2015 to 2020. After the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] reached Kenya, she quit her jobs in December 2020 and became a songwriter. Her husband, a music producer, supported her. She wrote several songs in the [[Kikuyu language]], which she uploaded as sound and language packages on various platforms for music producers.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=https://www.k24tv.co.ke/entertainment/mwaki-singer-sofiya-nzau-before-fame-123009/ |title='Mwaki' hit singer Sofiya Nzau narrates working as house help, hawker before fame : K24 TV |date=2023-12-02 |language=en-US |accessdate=2024-03-23}}</ref>
In 2023, Brazilian DJ [[Zerb]] took her song [[Mwaki]], meaning fire in [[English language|English]], and remixed the song as house. The song spread via [[TikTok]] and eventually became a viral hit.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{cite web |author=WDR |url=https://www1.wdr.de/radio/1live/musik/neu-fuer-den-sektor/zerb-sofiya-nzau-mwaki-100.html |title=Zerb & Sofiya Nzau - "Mwaki" |date=2023-12-01 |language=de |accessdate=2024-03-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Andrew Spada |url=https://dancingastronaut.com/2023/12/zerbs-mwaki-featuring-sofiya-nzau-is-an-undeniable-ear-worm/ |title=Zerb's 'Mwaki' featuring Sofiya Nzau is an undeniable ear worm |date=2023-12-08 |language=en-US |accessdate=2024-03-23}}</ref> When it turned out that the song would be an international hit, voices were raised accusing Zerb of exploitation. Nzau opposed this and said that she had chosen the distribution channel herself. In addition, she had made an agreement with Zerb from which she would benefit financially.<ref name=":1">{{cite web |url=https://thekenyatimes.com/latest-entertainment-news-kenya/music/from-hawker-to-global-icon-inspiring-story-of-sofiya-nzau/ |title=Sofiya Nzau 'Mwaki Hitmaker': From Hawker to Global Icon |work=[[The Kenya Times]] |date=2024-01-14 |accessdate=2024-03-23}}</ref> She subsequently received a credit for the song in the commercial evaluation and is listed on an equal footing in the charts. In December 2023, she also performed the song live in [[Nairobi]].<ref name=":1"/> In January 2024, the video for the song was shot in [[Hell's Gate National Park]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Katie Bain |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/zerb-sofiya-nzau-mwaki-music-video-1235591217/ |title=Zerb & Sofiya Nzau Star in Dazzling ‘Mwaki’ Video Shot in Kenya’s Hells Gate National Park: Watch |work=Billboard |date=2024-01-29 |accessdate=2024-04-03}}</ref>
==Discography==
===EPs===
* 2023: ''Family'' (26 Records)
===Singles===
* 2022: ''Hurt No More''
* 2022: ''Kúra''
* 2022: ''Daci'' (with Tim Hox & East & Young)
* 2023: ''Baobá'' (with Ramiro Moreno)
* 2023: ''Kenya'' (with El Porto)
* 2023: ''[[Mwaki]]'' (with [[Zerb]])
* 2023: ''Saufiya''
* 2023: ''Just Another Woman''
* 2023: ''Mwanake'' (with Yuri Haal)
* 2023: ''Ouria Deka'' (with Touzani)
* 2023: ''Slow Down'' (with Muisumena)
* 2023: ''Dikoima'' (with Backeer & Elline)
* 2024: ''Sondans'' (with Basti Grub)
* 2024: ''Batié'' (with AllBallonsPop)
* 2024: ''Karimu'' (with Irenee S & Don Dala)
* 2024: ''Mationaga'' (with Louis Bongo)
* 2024: ''Issara'' (with Sohno)
* 2024: ''Jamuke'' (with Harjex)
* 2024: ''Na Wose'' (with UPZ)
* 2024: Maneye (with Swanky Tunes)
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* [https://www.sofiyanzau.com/sofiya-nzau-defining-the-sound-of-africa Official website]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nzau, Sofiya}}
[[Category:2000 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Murang'a County]]
[[Category:21st-century singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:21st-century Kenyan singers]]
[[Category:21st-century Kenyan women singers]]