The Rise of Otile Brown From Mombasa to the World

Otile Brown, a popular Kenyan R&B singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor, is well-known for his romantic lyrics and smooth vocals.

He was born in Kisumu County, Kenya, on March 22, 1994, and he grew up in Mikindani, Mombasa, Kenya.

Otile, whose real name is Jacob Obunga, was raised with his stepmom, uncle, and grandmother after his parents passed away while he was still young.

He attended school in various areas, including Amani, Hamisi, Changamwe, and Mikindani, in Mombasa. He finished his education at form four.

Career Journey of Otile Brown

Before starting his music career, he did odd jobs like hawking Maasai shoes in Nairobi, tallying sacks at Kenya Post Authority (KPA) in Mombasa, selling second-hand clothes and shoes to students at the University of Nairobi (UON), and participating in stage plays at the Kenya National Theatre and a TV program called “Naswa.

Otile discovered that he could sing at the age of 12, and he started singing officially after high school.

He was a member of a rap group called “Kosi Kikosi”.

Also Read: Otile Brown Announces Return of Record Label

Otile once said that Hon. Jalang’o had a huge impact on his life, for he paid his rent and told him that he preferred his singing to rapping.

His moment in the spotlight came when he released his hit song “Imaginary Love” in 2016, featuring Khaligraph Jones, after signing with Dreamland Music Entertainment.

In 2017, he released his debut album dubbed “Best of Otile Brown,” which contained eight tracks; “Shujaa Wako”, “Niseme Nawe”, “Basi”, “Alivyonipenda”, “Dejavu”, “Imaginary Love”, “Aiyolela”, and “Everything.”

He parted with Dream Land Entertainment Label in March 2017 and became independent.

Afterward, he founded Just in Love Music and has released successful albums and singles, gaining national and international recognition. 

The first signee was Jovial, a Kenyan singer.

He released his second album, “Just in Love”, in 2020. “Regina”, “Zaidi Yako”, “Dede’, “Vibe”, “Hit and Run”, and “Dusuma”, among others, which amount to a total of 11 tracks.

The album received two million streams.

“Uptown Flex” was the first EP (Extended Play) that he released. It contains five tracks: “Run Up”, “Sempere”, “Run Up”, “Run Up, Sempere, Run Up, Realer”, and “Fine by Me”.

The third album was “Grace,” which he released in 2024 with tracks like “Asante’, “Umenipendea Nini’, “Dear X”, ‘Balling’, “Loving You”, “Cake”, “Tonight”, “Na enjoy”, “Wickedi”, and “Some Fun” and many more to make a total of 15 tracks.

Aside from his chart-topping singles, he has also done collaborations with artists such as Sanaipei Tande, Vera Sidika, Jovial, Prezzo, Harmonize, Ruby, Femi One, Nvirii the Storyteller, Mejja, Khaligraph Jones, Juma Jux, Kidum, Meddy, and Kizz Daniel, a Nigerian Artist.

Relationships

Otile had a romantic relationship with Vera Sidika, a Kenyan Socialite and Entrepreneur. They broke up after being together for six months.

After a month and a half, they reunited and broke up a week later.

Later, he got into a relationship with Nabayet, who is an Ethiopian Australian researcher, pastry chef, and biomedical scientist.

Also Read: Otile Brown Calls Out Diamond and Mbosso Over Fake Jewelry

Awards

In 2018, he won the Pulse Music Awards for Male Video of the Year with his song “Baby Love”, 2020, he was nominated for Best Male Artist in Eastern Africa at the African Muzik Magazine Awards (AFRIMMA).

In 2022, he was awarded the Gold Play Button for surpassing one million subscribers on YouTube at the YouTube Creator Awards.

He was also recognized at the YouTube Milestone as the Most-Watched Kenyan Artist for his song “Chaguo la Moyo,” which had over 29 million views.

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