The local gospel music industry has been infiltrated by artists who are seemingly more into showing off their expensive lifestyle a la Willy Paul than saving souls. For such artists, it’s all about a tight beat and throwing a few G.O.D lines and, voila! it’s a gospel hit. This is a trend that will not end with this article. That said, the likes of Mercy Masika-who is the focus of this piece-have remained true to the calling and they are reaping big. Before we look at her net worth, let’s revisit her past works and how she was thrust into the limelight.
Where it all started
Mercy Masika has been variously described as down to earth, gifted and a consummate gospel artist. Her journey to the apex of her career has been long and expected. The worship leader at Jesus Christian Church (JCC) credits her mother, Agnes Masika who is an accomplished musician, for her career choice. It was Agnes who introduced Mercy and her siblings to Joy Bringers and Sing and Shine shows then aired on KBC TV in the early 90s where they would perform. In 1994 and while in class 6, Mercy Masika produced her first album titled Nobody Like Jesus featuring her mother and Hellen Mtawale. Simply put, the young Mercy was being mentored by the best in the industry.
The mother of two remained true to her calling when she joined Machakos Girls where she went on to release her sophomore album. Mercy Masika vocal prowess as a worship artist sprouted when she joined Daystar University in 2002. Teaming up with producer Robert ‘R Kay’ Kamanzi, the singing sensation released such hits as Wendo Waku, Amokomete and Nesamehe.
Taking her music to new heights
Her song ‘Mwema’ released in 2014 catapulted Mercy to new heights. The song was played in matatus (public service vehicles), churches, clubs and became a must have ring back tone to many mobile users. The video has over 8 million views on YouTube. Interestingly the catchy song was written by Venanzio Githae aka Mr Vee. In an interview with SDE Sheila Kimani, the songwriter said: “Sometimes I can’t explain how I am able to come up with the right words for certain songs. But I can feel a song’s lyrics coming to life whenever I take time to write. It a God given gift and I keep tapping into it every day.” Nikupendeza followed shortly in 2015 and proved that Masika was no one hit wonder artist. The video has over 5 million views on You Tube.
How much does Mercy Masika make annually
She ranks among the highest paid Kenyan celebrities. In 2016 alone, Mercy made upwards of kes20 million. Skiza revised artists’ earnings per song from 22 per cent to 30 percent in 2017. Mercy said at the time: “If it was possible I would vote Safaricom for president, which is how happy I feel. However I wish we didn’t have to go through middle men, I know they say we have to but some of them are not transparent.” Mercy is estimated to have pocketed kes35 million in 2017 in Skiza tunes alone.
Performance fee
The soft spoken award winning artists pockets not less than kes300,000 per show.
Endorsement
The tail end of 2017 ended on a high after the gifted singer was named the brand ambassador of Ariel in East Africa. Although the endorsement deal was not made public, Masika was reportedly paid kes10 million.
Net Worth
Her networth is estimated at kes100 million.
