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k-lyinn Who is the former Miss Tanzania who is now enjoying a successful music career? If you got it right, then you are either from East Africa or a don in African music. Either category is great, but let’s learn a little more about Jacqueline Ntuyabaliwe (better known these days as K-Lynn). Museke.com delved a little deeper into her life, music and her thoughts on the industry. Read the interview transcript below.

Museke.com: Can you tell us about your background and family?
K-Lyinn: I’m the last born in a family of three girls, my father is a doctor and my mother who passed away in ‘95 was a nurse. I was born in Dar (Dar Es Salaam), Tanzania.

Museke.com: How did you get interested in music and when did you realize you wanted to take up a music career?
K-Lyinn: I always loved music and since the age of maybe 6 or 7 I knew that I wanted to become a singer.

Museke.com: What was your first big break in music?
K-Lyinn: My first break was in 1997 when I joined the Tanzanite band (Tanzanites) where I had the opportunity to learn singing and to perform with the band in various regions in the Gulf; at times we had huge crowds which gave me more confidence on stage.

Museke.com: Tell us about your career so far.
K-Lyinn: So far I have released two albums and many videos; I have also been nominated for music awards in Tanzania s well as in Kenya and Uganda.

Museke.com: Which African musicians did you listen to growing up?
K-Lyinn: I don’t really remember which African artists I grew up listening to at young age but as a teenager I remember names such as Miriam Makeba, and the late Brenda Fassie was my favourite.

Museke.com: Which African musician do you idolize or admire (presently)?
K-Lyinn: Presently I think it will be hard to choose my idol since there are many talented artists that I admire and therefore I find it difficult to choose just one.

Museke.com: If you could be one piece of music you've done what would it be and why?
K-Lyinn: I believe that I have done great music pieces that I like but the best is yet to come from me, I believe that there is so much more that I will showcase and then maybe I will be able to say which piece of my music I would like to be. k-lyinn

Museke.com: What have been your most memorable or favorite collaborations with other musicians?
K-Lyinn: I will have to say my most memorable collaboration has to be my first recorded collaboration (Chochote Utapata) that I did with Bushoke, it was a new experience for me and I fell in love with that song the moment we finished recording it.

Museke.com: Which musicians would you like to collaborate with?
K-Lyinn: At this point I would like to work with artists from outside my country, I like experimenting therefore I would like perhaps to do a song with a rock artist or a jazz singer or maybe someone who sings in Arabic style or something like that.

Museke.com: What kind of music do you do and why this style?
K-Lyinn: In my previous albums, I did mostly r&b kind of music, but I don’t like to conform myself with just one style of music so expect something new and different from me the next time you hear my new tracks.

Museke.com: What has inspired you to sing this type of music?
K-Lyinn: Inspiration comes from so many things and even the kind of music that I listen in a particular time, when I was recording my last album I was listening to Beyonce, Alicia and even Rihanna so my style was somehow inspired by that kind of music which is r&b.

Museke.com: How was it winning Miss Tanzania? What convinced you to take part?
K-Lyinn: Winning the title was very exciting; it was also a huge responsibility especially at the point when I had to represent my country in Miss world. Knowing that I had become a public figure and therefore I had a certain responsibility in front of people in the sense of how I carried myself as well as in fulfilling the work that comes with the title. It was a good experience that taught me a few things that I wouldn’t have learnt had I not been in that position.
I was convinced mostly by friends who thought that I had a chance of winning the title.

Museke.com: There are a lot of great female singers in Tanzania. How are you different from all of them?
K-Lyinn: Well apart from the fact that every human being is different I believe that my voice and my singing style and my personality make me different from the rest.

Museke.com: You were chosen as a Tanzanian contestant for our sexiest female African musician. What do you think about the moniker 'sex sells'? Does it hold true in the Tanzanian music industry? Do you consider your music videos sexy?
K-Lyinn: I believe that almost everyone in this world loves beautiful or even sexy things, whether it's jewellery or cars or many other products marketed out there, therefore to some extent I agree that sex sells and that applies not only to music it applies to many things that we see everywhere. k-lyinn

Museke.com: Have you ever performed in any other African countries?
K-Lyinn: In Africa, I have only performed in Kenya.

Museke.com: Have you been approached by foreign labels and what label are you on now?
K-Lyinn: I’m under my own company management and therefore I’m not signed under any label yet.

Museke.com: Tell us about your upcoming album. What should we expect?
K-Lyinn: I have started writing for my new album and this time I want it to be very personal in terms of style and everything, I want to do songs that I will love to listen to even in the next decade. This time it will be very special because I will talk about everything from love to politics to my personal beliefs.

Museke.com: What is in the future of your music?
K-Lyinn: The future is very exciting for African artists because there is so much that we haven’t explored yet both creatively and business wise, I personally intend to reach a wider market by singing not only in Swahili but English too. I also plan to use my name as a brand which I will use to sell my products.

Museke.com: What challenges do you face in the Tanzanian music industry (piracy, payola, etc)?
K-Lyinn: The biggest challenge is piracy and unfortunately I do not see an easy way to change that since it’s not only a problem in Tanzania and even in developed countries, artists are facing the same problem. Another challenge here is that the music industry is very young and there is a lack of proper music schools, managers, promoters, studios with advanced recording equipment and people haven’t really started to invest in the industry which could help us artists promote our music, make better quality records and in the end earn decent living out of music.

Museke.com: How can Tanzanian music expand and sell outside?
K-Lyinn: I think we have many talented artists in Tanzania and with proper promotion and publicity we can penetrate the international market, I also think it is essential for us to sing in English at least in some songs so that more people can understand our music.

Museke.com: Do you have any present engagements and works other than music?
K-Lyinn: I have recently started studying interior decoration and architecture, and I’m planning to open my new company to work on that field.

Museke.com: What is one interesting thing about you that some of us fans don't know?
K-Lyinn: Well one interesting thing about me that fans might not know is that I’m a big animal lover and I’m against animal cruelty, I hope to one day open an animal shelter for animals.

k-lyinn Museke.com: What are your hobbies and pastimes?
K-Lyinn: I have many hobbies, I love travelling and reading and socializing. I also love cooking and discovering different cuisines. I like watching comedies and romantic movies, I love shopping too.

Museke.com: Do you have a website?
K-Lyinn: My website is www.klyinn.com

Museke.com: Give us your Parthian shot (last words)
K-Lyinn: Last word for now is that I have learnt that in order to enjoy life one needs to live at the moment, enjoy what you have right now and be grateful. I also believe that there is no limit to what we can do, we create our own limits. Be bold, be creative, and leave your mark in this world.