In 2023, Melanie Macharia left the vibrant, polyphonic streets of Nairobi to pursue a Master’s degree in Music Performance at the University of Manchester. She arrived in the North of England with a suitcase and a degree, but she soon discovered that distance has a curious way of sharpening one’s perspective on home.
Now a rising star in the UK’s global music scene, the Kenyan-born singer and storyteller is preparing to release a debut EP in Spring 2026 that explores a hauntingly beautiful question: “Why did I have to leave my country to learn how to love it?”
Melanie’s sound is a reflection of Kenya’s rich cultural tapestry, where English, Swahili, and Kikuyu coexist alongside over 40 other indigenous languages. Growing up in Nairobi, music was her primary language, found in folk tales, church hymns, and spontaneous family sing-alongs.
While she was raised in an English-speaking household, Melanie’s journey into the Swahili language became a personal quest for belonging. Today, that language serves as her creative anchor.
“Swahili feels like home,” she explains. “Especially now that I’m living abroad, the language has become a safe place, a way to soften, to remember who I am, and to reconnect with my people.”
Melanie has transitioned from a student to a pivotal figure in Manchester’s arts community. Her resume already reads like a “who’s who” of Northern cultural institutions:
- Artist Residencies: Selected as a “Soundcheck Artist” for the Manchester Jazz Festival.
- Major Stages: Notable performances at Band on the Wall and the Manchester Folk Festival.
- National Honors: Arranging the Kenyan National Anthem for a high-profile showcase at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM).
Her recent collaboration, Quiet Night of Quiet Stars (Corcovado) with the UoM All Stars, showcased her ability to blend bossa nova sensibilities with a uniquely East African vocal warmth, further cementing her reputation as a genre-defying talent.
Supported by the Arts Council England’s Develop Your Creative Practice (DYCP) fund, Melanie’s upcoming EP is a deeply personal research project. It isn’t just an album; it is an exploration of the “becoming” that happens when one is uprooted.
The project weaves Swahili musical traditions with the contemporary, eclectic sounds of Manchester’s global folk scene. According to Melanie, the record is designed to hold the “grief, joy, and doubt” of the immigrant experience.
Melanie Macharia views her music as a form of cultural diplomacy. As an ambassador for Kenya and East Africa, she is dedicated to ensuring that Kikuyu and Swahili traditions are not just preserved, but allowed to evolve on the global stage.
“Our stories, our languages, our music deserve to travel,” she asserts. By building creative bridges between the UK and Kenya, she is opening doors for future artists to navigate the same cross-cultural waters she now calls home.