By Prudence Minayo
Many people love music and would love to make a career out of it but very few are successful. Arrow Bwoy is among the few success stories in Kenya who fought for his dream and didn’t give up even when the odds were stacked against him. In an interview with a local news blog, he explained why he chose the name Arrow:
“ An arrow Pierces. My lyrics are meant to penetrate. The message in my songs is straightforward, as you may have realized, I don’t mince words,” he said.
The musician focuses primarily on love songs which have been well received beyond the borders of Kenya. In a previous interview on K24, he revealed that he performed in a parked stadium in Mauritius and they knew his “Digi Digi” song word by word. What many people don’t know is that it took him so long to get to where he is today.
There were so many ups and downs in his life but he pressed on till he has become a household name. Today, he has rubbed shoulders with some of the big names in the industry and managed to also make a name for himself.
Real Name
His real name is Ali Yusuf.
Age
He was born on 25th May 1993.
Family
The hit maker’s father is a Luhya while his mother is Ugandan. His father was polygamous and had about 24 children. With his mother he had three children, his two elder brothers and him.
The popular singer grew up in a violent home. His parents were always fighting and choking each other even in front of neighbours. At school, other pupils would chide him because they knew of the violence in their homestead.
Education
The dancehall artiste attended primary school in Kenya but moved to Uganda for his secondary school where he studied until form 6.
Career
After high school, Arrow Bwoy joined his brother in Huruma where he was renting a mabati (iron sheet) house at Ksh1,000. His brother used to sell smokies and groundnuts and he would help in packaging sometimes.
Later, he got a job as a butcher in City market where he started eking out a living. He started renting his own Mabati house at Ksh1,000. At first, he slept on sofa set cushions until he was able to buy a mattress.
Music Career
The singer tried to get into music during the Tusker Project Fame (TPF) competition. He even acquired two audition forms, in an underhand manner. The first judge told him to try again the next time.
This did not deter him and he used the second form to do a second audition which did not go well as planned. He left without getting in but did not give up on his dreams.
In 2012, he was part of Qbic crew and they released three singles, Tam Tam, Angelina and Make you Mine. The songs were a flop and in 2015, he embarked on a solo career. He was signed by the King Kaka empire and his biggest breakthrough came in 2018, after he released the song “Digi Digi.” He has gone on to release more songs successfully.
Songs
- Shikisha
- Jango love
- Dodo
- African woman
- Lover
- Radio love
- Mdogo mdogo
- Murder
- Koona
- Ill be there
- Lika
- Godo
- Love doctor
- Bila bonus
- Waka waka
- Mama
- Ride
- Wrong number
Dating
It was rumoured that the Digi Digi hitmaker was in a relationship with Nadia Mukami. The mellow voiced singer rubbished the reports saying that their relationship with Arrow Bwoy was professional.
“We are not dating its coz when you’re a female artist ukifanya ngoma na msanii wa kiume, People thought we dated. No he’s not a celebrity, he’s not on the limelight,” Nadia told Happy Hour Show.
The reports came to be true and the two went to have a baby together and now live together as husband and wife.
