In summary
Serah Nyaboke says her cover songs are driven by the idea of giving the old good songs a taste of modernity which in turn awaken past memories.
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Serah Nyaboke popularly known as Serah Ke on social media can no longer be ignored. She has sang and waltzed her way to the national limelight by producing masterpieces in Rhumba music cover.
Her Charonyi ni wasi cover was uploaded on 14th April, 2023 and has accumulated over 840k views within four months. Serah invested her time and the end product speaks for itself.
So popular is the cover that it gets aired on Radio Maisha’s Rhumba Republik that is broadcast by Titi Nagwala and DJ Darius.
But how did Serah become a popular songbird? In this article, WoK brings you the exclusive story of the Nyamira based artiste.
Brought up in Nyamira County
Serah Nyaboke was raised and bred in Nyamira County in a locality known as Kebirigo.
She went to Golden Gate Academy before joining Sironga Girls High School for secondary education.
Serah then matriculated at the University of Eldoret (UoE) for a Bachelor’s of Education in Physics and Mathematics.
The bubbly songbird is currently taking a second degree in Clinical Medicine at Kisii University.
Music Career
In a recent interview, she detailed that she began sharpening her vocals when she was as young as she can remember.
A young Serah would accompany her parents to the church where they were choir members.
“I have been passionate about singing since my childhood days. I used to follow my parents to church and that is where I discovered I could sing,” she says.
Apparently, she wanted to study music while in high school but her dad discouraged her. Instead, he asked her to pursue music as a hobby or a part time thing.
As such, Serah began producing Rhumba music covers just for fun.
Success in Rhumba Music
Her choice for Rhumba and Zilizopendwa anchored her dreams on a firm ground as many Kenyans resonate with the genre.
According to her, this kind of music brings nostalgia and sweet childhood memories. Remember when you woke up to KBC radio and Franco Luambo’s 12600 letters was playing?
Then you would mispronounce the lyrics as Amegongwa na basi yeye? That is the memory Serah wants her audience to relive.
“We grew up listening to these songs and they bring up memories. (Back then) There is a music you could listen to and automatically know you were late for school,” she says.
In December 2021, she broke a new ground and dropped a simple cover for the song Ndaya by Mpongo Love which has so far received 801k views on YouTube. The song is basically based on the theme of love.
Then she did a cover of the song Nakei Nairobi by veteran Congolese musician Mbilia Bel. The song is about friendship and the persona says she is traveling from Kinshasa to Nairobi to save her friend from the hardships of Kenya’s capital.
Serah took a break before logging in to her Youtube channel and announced that “I am back.”
Charonyi ni wasi cover
In 14th April, she uploaded what many of her fans would consider the best cover for the song Charonyi ni wasi originally produced by Maroon Commandos. The piece is a Mijikenda song based on the monetization of everything including food and water which brings forth hardships in life.
A month later, Serah was at it again and dropped the Afro cover.
Personal life
She is a mother of one and describes her partner as being supportive. In a recent interview, she also said her parents are her number one fans and don’t mind that she is doing ‘secular’ music covers.
“My parents are very supportive. I think they’re the ones who give me the first views. They have no problem,” she said.
She is also into business and is linked to a restaurant by the name Kisii Street Kitchen and is based in Kisii Town. It offers fast foods and customized packages.