Born in Nairobi and hailing from the Nilotic tribes of Kenya, Adelaide-based Elsy Wameyo embraces her cultural heritage through her musical offerings. Her self-produced 2022 debut EP Nilotic was hailed as a game-changer and praised by The Guardian, Acclaim, NME, Fashion Journal, & Complex for its incisive lyrics and impressive production. A bilateral journey of spirituality and personal growth, the EP sought to claim back, fix and uproot the world’s evil while processing frustration and sadness through music. Informed by an Adelaide upbringing and singing in church choirs from an early age, Wameyo posed questions to her heritage and the equity of societal structures as she unraveled her self-identity across six self-produced tracks. The EP’s success propelled her on to tours with Grammy award-winner Printz Board, Maségo, Sampa the Great, Genesis Owusu, Ruel and Adrian Eagle, among others.
Honing her production over the course of 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement had a profound effect on Wameyo’s writing. In an interview with NME, she shared “It’s one of those things where as much as it’s happening in the US a lot of these things are happening in Australia – Australia just knows how to hide it.”
“Sinner” was born from writing sessions with Kenyan producers Wuod Omollo and Polycarp Otieno, and kicks off what is sure to be another watershed year for the singular artist.
