Shusha Nyavu: How Christina Shusho landed a surprise hit and shockingly won Kenyan drunkards

The silvery-voiced worship legend became an unexpected hit with the Kenyan online community after they discovered, albeit too late, that she plucked her song's lyrics straight from the Bible - and then created musical magic with it in the studio.

Shusho, who burst onto the Kenyan scene with the 2008 eternal hit 'Unikumbuke', went on to release an arsenal of memorable gospel hits in quick succession, cementing her place as one of the highest-rated praise and worship pillars regionally.

Armed with soothing and yet explosively potent vocals, the Tanzanian nightingale quickly won over Kenyans, flooding the gospel airwaves with immortal melodies - Mtetezi Wangu, Nipe Macho, Mshukuru Bwana, Wa Kuabudiwa, Tumsifu Bwana and more.

A consummate composer, Shusho harnessed musicality in an otherwise strict industry strife with preachy tunes and too worshipy choruses, blessing the world with her angelic, chain-breaking sound, and making everlasting classics while at it.

Shusho gave her life to Christ at the tender age of 15 and after working as a janitor at her local church, she would quickly join the church choir before discovering she could go solo - and the legend was birthed.

With a voice so magnificent and powerful, she created a delectable dichotomy between the Church and the streets, winning over staunch church folk but also the regular yobs dancing it out down the alleyway.

Quickly, some of her music proliferated throughout pop culture, establishing her as an unlikely popstar - but still, deeply, a gospel darling.

With songs such as 'Wa Kuabudiwa', a soul-stirring worship canticle which lifted the spirit and provided listeners with the much-needed catharsis, Shusho became the archetype for what we think of as gospel singing – her music became the building blocks for the golden age of gospel.

Over the years, the soft-spoken gospel superstar's untouchable appeal transcended religion, tribe, class and genre, becoming a hit both with the lords in their mighty mansions and the hoi-polloi moving bricks in downtown Arusha.

Remaining steadfast for over a decade, the controversy-free Shusho inspired a devotion majorly cemented by her still-flawless voice, crossover appeal, staggeringly accomplished compositions and electrifying sparkle.

Her music's intimacy and intensity continued to shake not just the heavens but Earth too turning her into a galvanic cynosure credited with bringing an uncompromised strand of gospel excellence.

While other female gospel singers have come before her, even from her own home country, and left an indelible mark, Shusho's endurance, steadfastness and sheer appeal made her an unforgettable seismic force.

So massively celebrated is she in her country of origin that Diamond Platnumz-owned Wasafi Media became the official media sponsor of her latest album 'Hararat' as well as fully sponsoring her 'Mtoko Wa Pasaka Easter Festival'. And when she landed in Eldoret earlier this year, fellow Bongo star Harmonize, struck by her presence, fell to his knees and kissed her feet, causing an immediate controversy.

On 'Shusha Nyavu', a song surprisingly released in 2020, the gospel rockstar hit the perfect chord - the lyricism, the rhythm, the flow, the instrumentalism and the uplifting theme.

Over the last month or so, across all Kenyan nightclubs and social gatherings, the single most requested and danced-to song became 'Shusha Nyavu'. And rightfully so.

As Christina Shusho prepares to rock her thousands of Kenyan fans on the night of 31st December, one thing will be for sure - her magic, spark and brittle charm will be in flawless abundance. 

And when she finally flies back to Tanzania, she will surely sit and think, 'this little girl from Kigoma really did it for The Lord'.