Sanaipei Tande, a renowned Kenyan singer, TV host, and actress also known as Sana, has been officially confirmed to represent Kenya at the Intervision 25 song contest. The event will be held in Russia on September 20 at the Live Arena in Novoivanovskoye, near Moscow.
She will perform an afro-pop rendition of her song “Flavour,” which is available on various digital platforms. The music video for “Flavour,” a track from her 2021 debut EP album NABO, has become one of her most popular works, garnering 9 million online views. The song aims to promote global friendship through music.
Sanaipei is joined by a diverse lineup of international artists, including Shaman from Russia, Brandon Howard from the United States, Zena Emad from Saudi Arabia, Slobodan Trkulja and Balkanopolis from Serbia, Amre from Kazakhstan, and Wang Xi from China.
Born in March 1985, Sanaipei emerged as one of the three top finalists who went on to form the musical trio Sema. The group quickly released a 17-track album, Mwewe, which produced several popular hits.
Although the group later disbanded, Sanaipei Tande’s solo career took off. Since the 2010s, she has collaborated with many prominent Kenyan artists. Her collaborations with R&B artist Otile Brown were particularly successful, including their 2018 hit “Chaguo La Moyo,” which has over 30 million views, making its music video one of the most-watched in Kenya. She also had a fruitful collaboration with Aiyana in 2020.
Sanaipei has also been involved in several commissioned projects. In 2017, she was commissioned by the Ministry of Sports and Culture to write “TWENDE KASA” and “VICTORIOUS” for the World Under-18 Athletics Championships. That same year, she worked with Kenyan rapper Naiboi on the song “MJASIRI” for the Ministry of Irrigation as part of the Jubilee Youth presidential campaign.
In 2019, she served as the head Kenyan jury member for the Amazing Voices music contest, which was broadcast on the popular African media platform Africa Magic.
The Intervision Song Contest, an event with historical roots as a counterpart to the Eurovision Song Contest for the Eastern Bloc, is being revived after a long hiatus. The winner will be awarded money and a concert tour. For the contest, Kenya’s juror on the international panel will be Peter Chuani.