Contemporary music rapper Julius Owino, who is better known by his stage name Juliani, is all set for a mega comeback. The ‘Exponential Potential’ rapper has been missing in action for a while now but says 2018 is the year of big projects.
In just the first quarter of the year, the rapper has lined up several concerts including an album launch slated for April 21.
“I am around, though I chose to keep a low profile as I introspect on my life. I was also planning on rebranding so that when I bounce back into the music scene, I can go for another ten to 15 years – nonstop – without sounding monotonous. Simply, put: I took time off to relax and restrategise. I would have chosen to go the easier route – to bounce back and imitate what other successful musicians do. Though, such copy-paste strategies rarely work for the long term,” said Juliani.
“In 2018, I have a lot of projects lined up for my fans. I will be dropping my album on April 21.”
The rapper’s concerts kicked off last weekend with ‘The Kenyan Love Story’ on Saturday, February 10 and Sunday, February 11 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
The ‘Kenyan Love Story’ is about how citizens of different demographics view the culture and general practice of the Kenyan people,” explained Juliani.
“On March 21, 22, 23 and 24 I will be having back-to-back concerts. The first three days of the four, I will be performing my albums – ‘Mtaa Mentality’, ‘Pulpit kwa Street’ and ‘Exponential potential’.
“On March 24, I will perform a mixture of the three albums; and later on the same date, hold a listening party ahead of the launch of my next album on April 21.”
The rapper, who is a father of a 3-year-old baby girl, Amor, also spoke about fatherhood saying it has been quite an experience.
“Fatherhood is taking me well. Niko poa. Actually, my daughter has begun schooling; she joined school in January 2018. So, anapiga piga raundi huko. Inambamba,” he said.
“I thank God for His grace in helping Brenda and I raise the baby to this stage. There’s no clear manual for bringing up a child, ni guesswork and God’s guidance.
“In this world of today, you can never say you are a hundred percent sure of how to protect your child. It’s God’s guidance which gives the way forward.”
On the alleged break up with Brenda Wairimu, Juliani said; “I don’t think people care genuinely about what’s happening in my private life. Unless one is idle, they don’t care. People often respond to the information you make available to them. If a section of social media users claimed that Brenda and I have broken up, I think they were saying that for fun purposes, nothing serious,” said Juliani.
“I have never given someone any reason to suspect my love life was on the rocks.”
“Brenda and I are doing fine, we’re closely knit. I don’t think there’s any reason for us to fight, or claim that we are at loggerheads.”
On the secret to success, the award-winning musician said it’s all about taking a risk.
“My little secret for success, which could be relative before the eyes of some people, is risk-taking. If one wants to be successful, he or she should never fear trying out new ways of doing things; they should not fear being exposed to vulnerability. If one does not make mistakes, he or she never learns.”
