Macharia Finds a Sense of Belonging on Debut EP Tega Sikio (Listen)

Blending folk, jazz and Kenyan musical traditions with intimate storytelling, Manchester-based singer-songwriter Macharia turns a journey back to their roots into a deeply personal debut built around memory, identity and change.

There’s something quietly powerful about music that brings you closer to where you come from. On Tega Sikio (Listen), their debut EP, Kenyan-born, Manchester-based artist Macharia transforms a journey into their Kikuyu heritage into five musical letters to the people who have shaped their life. The result is a project that feels intimate and deeply rooted, yet speaks to something universal: the realisation that people, places and relationships are never quite as permanent as we imagine.

Written following an Arts Council England-funded research trip to Kenya, the five-track EP draws on personal memories, family connections and the sounds that have stayed with Macharia across continents. From the familiar rhythms and chants woven into the title track to the competitive sporting songs that inform ‘Moto’, the music feels connected to lived experience rather than simply inspired by it. Even the sounds of laughter from Macharia’s own birthday party find their way into ‘Days Go By’, giving the project an immediacy that makes its themes of belonging and change feel all the more tangible.

Musically, Tega Sikio moves fluidly between folk and jazz, embracing improvisation, call-and-response and the freedom to let a song find its own direction. Macharia’s background in musical theatre and music direction also comes through in the EP’s storytelling sensibility: each song feels like part of a wider narrative, with space for listeners to find their own meaning within it.

Having previously worked as Music Director at Nairobi’s Khweva Arts Production Company and composed music for the 2023 musical Kiri, Macharia brings a thoughtful, performance-led approach to their solo work. Now based in Manchester, they are building a sound that honours their heritage while allowing room for experimentation, humour and personal discovery.

At its heart, Tega Sikio is about listening — to family, to memory, to the places that made us and to the person we become when we return to them. We caught up with Macharia to discuss reconnecting with their Kikuyu roots, finding freedom between folk and jazz, and the stories they hope to tell next.

1. Your debut EP, Tega Sikio (Listen), is described as five letters to the people who have shaped you. What inspired you to tell these stories through music, and was there anything you discovered about yourself in the process?

My trip to Kenya (funded by the Arts Council DYCP grant) earlier in the year inspired these conversations, I realised how easy it is to expect things and people to stay exactly the same. In that time I had to really sit with myself and embrace the fact that the only constant thing in this life is change. It is a sentiment a lot of people can relate to and I just wanted to share that in a form that can transcend barriers. Being able to write these letters and put them into music was incredibly cathartic.

2. You travelled to Kenya on an Arts Council England-funded research trip to explore your Kikuyu heritage. How did reconnecting with your roots influence the sound, themes and direction of the EP?

I got to visit my ancestral home, spent a lot of time with my family, got to see the ways in which I had changed in the past five years, and the ways the distance had changed my relationship with my culture. I have a deeper appreciation for my language and my heritage after being away from it for so long! I knew I wanted to have sounds that were familiar to me embedded into the EP. The song Tega sikio samples a pump that was the soundtrack of my Sunday Mornings and some chants we sang in highschool. Moto is based on a song sang during competitive sports to put off the competition. Days go by features sounds amd laughter from my actual birthday party. Being able to literally touch grass helped me unlock a really fun creative direction for the EP.

3. Your music sits between folk and jazz, with storytelling and call-and-response at its heart. How do you bring these traditions together, and what does that combination allow you to express that other styles might not?

Theres a freedom within both the folk and the jazz world(and Kenyan music!) that lies in improvisation and being able to adapt melodies and rhythms on the spot. It allows me to really lean into where the music takes me rather than trying really hard to fit within a certain mould. And call and response is a beautiful way to ensure my listeners are as much a part of the creative process and my performances.

4. You’ve moved between different musical worlds, from directing music for theatre in Nairobi to performing across the UK. How have these experiences shaped your identity as an artist, and has your relationship with music changed since moving to Manchester?

Writing for musical theatre is an exceptional experience! You are constantly reminded that the music is there to serve the story. You may have bled prose onto the page but if it isnt in line with the visiom of the story and aligned with the creative team, it just doesnt make the cut.

i have carried this with me and it has allowed me to learn how to tell unique stories with my music, but also draw the audience in with my live performances. I aim to ensure that each performance has a clear storyline within it.

It has also taught me to accept the ephemeral nature of art as well. Not every song makes the EP, not every song makes it to the stage, not every word gets to be heard by the world, and that's absolutely fine! Some songs are a means to an end.

5. With Tega Sikio marking your debut as a recording artist, what do you hope listeners take away from the project? And as you continue developing your sound, what stories or musical territories are you most excited to explore next?

I hope the listeners tap into a sense of belonging as they listen. I hope the songs resonate with them as deeply as they do with me. I am really excited to explore more stories and aounds from Kenya and weave them.into my own personal experiences. Perhaps write a concept album about a Kenyan heroine and eventually turn that into a musical for the West End! As my father says at the end of "You'll see" the future has a lot in store for me; and I just cant wait to see what my mind comes up with next!