Ssaru’s Journey: Breaking Barriers in the Gengetone Scene

Ssaru is a Kenyan entertainer, performing artist, rapper, and songwriter who started her music career by recording freestyles and posting them on her WhatsApp status.

Sylvia Saru, popularly known as Ssaru wa Manyaru, a name that she was given by her fans, was born on May 19, 2002, in Maungu, Taita Taveta County, Kenya.

She is the third born among three brothers, Fidel being the firstborn.

Education

Ssaru attended Marsai Primary School in Maungu, Taita Taveta County, Kenya. She then went to St. Joseph Girls’ High School in Maungu, Taita Taveta, Kenya.

Later, she transferred to Patanisho Secondary School in Kayole, Nairobi, Kenya.

She did her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) in 2018.

Also Read: Rapper Ssaru Vehemently Denies Dating Trio Mio: “He Is My Brother”

Career

Ssaru was an active member of the school music club, which led to her performing at music festivals.

Back in school, she was a member of the journalism club and used to present news during school assembly.

Speaking in an interview, she said that at a young age, she was fond of watching news presenters on television; if not for her music career, she would have taken on a journalism career.

She has been called the Queen of Gengetone due to her diverse and versatile musical style.

Ssaru writes her music based on events happening around her and what she knows her fans would like to hear.

She launched her music career by posting short freestyle videos on her WhatsApp status, and then people would post them online for her.

Her professional music career began in 2019.

Through her musical journey, she has collaborated with well-known artists like Exray, Trio Mio, Timmy Tdat, Khaligraph Jones, Wakadinali, Tipsy Gee, Masauti, Munga, Charisma, Motif Di Don, Willis Raburu, Breeder LW, Mejja, Sean MMG, Benzema, and Fathermoh.

In 2023, she released her debut album titled ‘The Queen of Genge’, which contained tracks like Shaolin with Fathermoh, Masauti, Boutross, and Harry Craze, Spy App with Munga and Khaligraph Jones, Bar Bar with Fathermoh, Come Vile Unacome featuring Trio Mio and Timmy Tdat, Nataka with Masauti, and Fall in Love with Machali Watundu.

Also Read: Rapper Ssaru Forgets About Otile Brown After He Fails to Chase Her

Awards and Recognitions

In 2020, she received the Unkut Hip-Hop Female Act of the Year Award. In 2024, she won Female Artist of the Year at the Pulse Music Video Awards.

In 2024, she became Apple’s Up Next programme ambassador, and she took the center stage for Apple Music’s Up Next Program for East Africa.

Ssaru’s rise reflects unwavering determination, raw talent, and a bold defiance of norms in a male-dominated industry.

With courage, authenticity, and constant reinvention, she empowers young women to dream fearlessly and carve out their place in the entertainment scene.

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