How much do Kenyan artistes charge to perform at live events? The music industry is very lucrative once popularity hits. Locally and internationally renowned artistes have been known to make a fortune by using their voices in their own songs.
Additionally, they make even more money from music sales, ticket sales, performance shows, albums and non-music ventures.
Millions Diamond was paid per minute to perform for Raila
Kenya houses some of the biggest names in the African continent, some of who have popularized themselves by sponsoring tours outside African borders too. Let us take a look at how much some of these artistes charge for an event they are hosted to perform live on stage.
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Sauti Sol – $40,000
Sauti sol band are the most expensive Kenyan artists with global recognition from their hit songs. The Kenyan talent and afro-pop band’s reach and influence are great, having won prestigious accolades such as the MTV Africa Music Awards.
To perform at live events, they charge at most, Kshs. 4.7 Million as of 2022. Their relatively high-performance fee is negotiable but barely goes below Ksh. 1 million. Sauti Sol staged their first ever Kenyan show in December 2021, which saw the tickets sell out four days before the concert.
Regular tickets sold at Kshs. 2,500. From ticket sales, the band made Kshs. 12.5 Million
2. Nyashinski – $20,000
Nyashinski has been revealed by promoters and event planners as the most expensive solo artiste in Kenya. The ‘Malaika’ and ‘Mungu pekee’ singer is known for his preference to do live band performances instead of a playback.
Nyashinski charges Kshs. 2.4 million for a show. However, his fee is negotiable and this depends on so many other underlying factors.
3. Bien Aime Baraza – $7,000
Bien is a member of the Sauti Sol band. Aside from that, he has also established his name by having solo songs such as Mbwe Mbwe which has earned 10 million views over 9 months.
Bien charges at most Kshs. 820,000 for a live solo performance.
“I think after Nyash (Nyashinski), Bien is the second most expensive artiste in the country at the moment. When we couldn’t agree a deal with Nyash, we went for him.”
Said an events planner previously speaking to Nation Africa
“He initially asked us for $7,000, but we managed to bring him down to $6,500 (Kshs. 770,000) and he showed up with his band.”
4. Otile Brown – $5,000
For an hour’s concert performance, Kenyan RnB sensation Jacob Obunga popularly known as Otile Brown charges a minimum of Ksh 500,000 if the organizers are corporate.
“During our ‘The Finest’ concert last year, we paid him half a million and Jux Sh700,000,” one of the show’s organizers revealed.
During the recent Stanbic ‘Yetu Festival’ sponsored by Stanbic Bank, Otile reportedly took home Ksh 700,000. Earlier in June, he had pocketed Ksh 500,000 from the Koroga Festival Show.
5. Nadia Mukami – $4,000
Nadia Mukami is arguably the most highly rated and sought-after female entertainer in Kenya currently. She charges anything between Ksh 300,000 and Ksh 400,000 as a standard, rate, depending on the type of client.
6. Bahati – $5,500
Speaking in an interview on a show for a local TV station, singer Bahati revealed that he charges a minimum of Ksh 700, 000 for an 18-25 minute performance.
The Kenyan gospel artist and Mathare MP aspirant said that the brand he has built entitles him to such huge pay for relatively less work done.
7. Khaligraph Jones – $4,500
Rapper Khaligraph Jones also charges Ksh 500,000 for an hour’s show on stage but the rates could go down.
“You might have realized he also does a lot of club appearances, especially for corporate gigs, with EABL being the main victim. Information I have is that he gets pay of between Ksh 150,000 and Ksh 200,000 for 30 to 45 minutes,” an agency representative disclosed.
Other artists include;
- King Kaka – approximately 500,000
- Muthoni The Drummer Queen – 450,000 upwards
- Nameless – 400,000 upwards
- Octopizzo – 400,000 upwards
- Kansoul – approximately 300,000
- Money – (250,000 concert) (100,000 club gigs)
- Ethic – 200,000 upwards
- Boondocks Gang – 150,000 upwards
- Barak Jacuzzi – approximately 150,000
- Ochungulo Family – approximately 100,000
- Bensoul – approximately 100,000
- Kaskazini – approximately 100,000
- Timmy X Twenny – 100,000
- Karun – approximately 100,000
- Bey T – approximately 100,000
- Wakadinali – 100,000 upwards
- Chris Kaiga – approximately 50,000
