My featured artist Thir13een!

I write song lyrics for over a decade now, and it has always been one of my goals to release meaningful songs. Back in the summer of 2021, I started my online petition #HumanityB4Nationality for better rights regarding education and integration for refugees worldwide. And even though this topic is more urgent than ever before, I haven’t received the support that I was hoping for. What has shocked me the most is the lack of interest and support by international charities and non-profit organizations that work with or for refugees!!!

So I thought to myself, how else can I bring awareness about the plight of refugees? In my opinion, music is the most powerful tool! So I’ve participated in the UK Songwriting Contest 2021 with my song lyric “80 Million People!” Desperately hoping to find a talented singer and producer to bring my lyrics to life. And even though my song lyrics are powerful, I only received 4 stars and didn’t even make it to the Semi-Finals. But in my heart, I knew that these lyrics deserve to be heard worldwide.

Call it fate, call it luck or a miracle but wishes do come true when you least expect it. And the saying "When one door closes another opens" is very true. Especially with the opportunities that we have today anything is possible. Thanks to the Internet we can collaborate with talented and like-minded people like I have with my featured artist Thir13een.

Warren Young “Thir13een” is an exceptionally talented British music producer and singer-songwriter who works in the entertainment industry for years. His passion is to bring audio visions to life. Warren has spent 15 years in the music industry and is on a mission to educate music creators globally on how to create professional audio they've always dreamed of creating whilst releasing melodic soulful pop tracks that his fans can enjoy. He has also landed major placements with Universal Music, MTV, 50 Cent, Apple Music & BBC Radio 1xtra, and was awarded the #1 music coaching award on YouTube Music in 2018.

Thir13een in his recording studio in London

I honestly couldn’t be more excited, emotionally overwhelmed, and happier about having his professional support. Not only has Warren Young one of the greatest voices, but his understanding of music is beyond my imagination and expectation. 

While Thir13een and I live miles apart, have a little time difference, and haven’t met in person (yet), we have created two great songs together.

“80 Million People!” and “Blood is always red!” are two meaningful songs with important messages to the world for all ages and all generations! Both titles are available on all streaming platforms. 

Working with Thir13een is truly a joy and a blessing. I recommend his professional service to anyone who is looking for a dedicated, professional singer/songwriter who puts all his love, emotion, feelings, devotion, passion, energy, talent, and knowledge into your work! He has a god-given gift and anyone who works with him is blessed with God's miracle! 

If you are a musician yourself and like to learn more about song production, you have to follow Thir13een's YouTube channel. It is educational and inspiring. If you like to collaborate with him, this is his Website, and IG page.

My message to Thir13een: There are no words to describe how incredibly honored, proud and grateful I am to have your beautiful voice singing my lyrics. Your exceptional talent for music and melody combined with my stories will hopefully create change and help the voiceless! For now and forever you will be in my heart and prayers because you, my friend, have fulfilled a long-time dream and goal of mine! God bless you and your loved ones. This is just the beginning of a long collaboration... :-)

FYI: Thir13een has also released lovely songs that you can listen to on Spotify! 

I love this video music of Thir13een! 

You either have it or you don't. 

He is and obviously was always a cool dude! :-))))

Q & A with singer/songwriter Nahash Mwathi from Kenya!

I'm very excited about my next guest in my blog series THE MIRACLE OF MUSIC. He is a talented and spiritual young singer/songwriter and dental surgery student from Kenya. Nahash Mwathi is only 23 but has already achieved so much. He has definitely an old soul. 

Dear Nahash, welcome to my blog series “The Miracle of Music”. Tell me at what age did you discover your love and passion for music?

I always knew there was a musical aspect to my life. I probably didn’t understand it all at once, but music has always been special to me. I wanted to have an album since I was 11, and I could see myself on a stage singing my heart out with the simple words of songs that relate to others. It was not till high school, however, that this gift started manifesting as I joined an Acapella group and started writing songs a lot more. Some of my most treasured songs were written during this period. Music for me has just been a gift that has kept on growing and giving.

What instruments do you play?

I play the piano and guitar (slightly). I am just recently trying to be serious on improving both, so I can have different interpretations of my music. I am a self-taught instrument player so it’s my ears that have been quite useful in my learning journey. Not to mention my music, that I write using the piano most times. I inherited a keyboard from my older siblings, and I would experiment songs that I heard everyday. I was quite bad at it, but the thought of getting better pushed me to learn more and more. I am still learning.

When did you start to write your first song lyrics?

I wrote my first song when I was around 7 or 8. It was an assignment the science teacher gave- that we should write a song about teeth so we could remember. Only two of us wrote the song, and the other person wrote a song that borrowed a known tune and copied lyrics from the science text book. It was quite cliché. When it was my turn, I stood up and sang my song, and it had a catchy tune that everyone got quite quick. A few moments later, everyone in class was up jumping and singing the chorus to the song. I couldn’t believe my song had such an impact on people’s well-being and happiness. It would be just the start of this amazing gift of writing music.

I wrote my next song 3 years later, a sad song, following a neighbor’s daughter’s death. It was quite scary for me to understand death, so I was sad and I wrote a song about our help coming from God alone. Many more songs followed after this, and the gift has gotten better with more use.

Your Teeth story is excellent, considering the fact that you now study dental surgery. :-) Do you think you have your love for music in your DNA? Are your parents or siblings into music as well?

I believe music is a huge part of who I am. I think it was engraved in my making, and God knew it would be something I would need to help Him change other peoples’ lives. From people going through depression, others who’ve lost parents and relationships, my heartaches and paths of life have been penned down in these musical presentations to help others during their pain.

My siblings have the musical gift for sure, and my mum used to sing actively as she grew up. However, each of them has a different interpretation of music and its importance in the path of their lives- understandable. I’m grateful that we’re all different, and that we get to see things differently and live life how we see and interpret it.

CONNECT AND FOLLOW NAHASH 

Nahash, do you believe that music has the power to heal? Do you believe in the miracle of music?

Music definitely has the power to heal. Most of my music has been written during the hardest of my times. I usually say that it’s possible for one to know everything about me just from listening to my music. It’s an extension of my journey in a bid to find joy, peace and love. Who’s not looking for these things anyway? I still wonder how I could think of some powerful lyrics that I’ve written- it’s beyond me! I only see this now as miracles through which God spoke to me, to help me past the hard times and help others in theirs by sharing my music. Haven’t we all heard of music therapy helping millions of people with different challenges mentally and physically to get better?

I personally know many who’ve written messages to me, thanking me for relating to their most difficult life seasons, and I know this is more than just the words, it’s the music and the moods created by the different sounds. That’s why many always have a pair of headphones on while going about their day, and speakers at different spaces to calm them, get them excited, help them cry and let go of their emotions. Music can heal. It’s helped many heal, including me.

I agree. Also, Music brings people from all generations, countries, cultures, and religions together. Do you have an explanation why?

There’s something about music. It connects diverse cultures and people in a way we can’t explain. I think the ear, being one of the most important senses, has a special part to play in connecting us. Music not only talks about common human suffering and emotion, but there’s a story in every beat, tune, sound that makes us relate to what is being performed or sung- whether good or bad. We can consciously or subconsciously understand what the sound is telling us to do, how it makes us feel.

Music tells the stories we are afraid to tell in ways we don’t think about. And this affects every human being differently. That’s powerful for me. It means there’s ways certain music can affect us even when we don’t realize.

Nahash, what do you like to achieve with your inspiring lyrics? What is your goal? What’s your main message to the world?

My music is quite simple, repetitive and sweet. It’s the kind of person I am. I don’t like shouting, or noise for that matter. I really enjoy people singing along to the songs, because it means that they will think about the songs longer than that 3 minute presentation. That’s what I’d like- for people to really think about the music and see how it helps them in their growth towards joy, peace and love.

It’s for the hurting to know they aren’t alone and that there’s a small brother (or older) who empathizes with their circumstances and wants them to know this too shall pass.

My lyrics hope to achieve a sense of bringing up issues not talked about often in Christianity- like self-esteem issues, that I personally have had to struggle through. My project “The Love Flowchart” was exactly this, a  project looking at self-esteem from a young Christian man’s perspective. It’s funny how people listen to these projects and say “That’s me too!” That’s exactly what I believe my music is about- relating and helping each other find help.

Wonderful. Tell me why should people listen to your music?

My goal is to let others know that we all go through hard times most times, good ones sometimes, but this isn’t always a reflection of our identity. You aren’t your struggles. For those struggling with guilt, you still have a chance to make things right. Those struggling with anxiety, there’s hope for you. And you who feels like a nobody? You are the best thing that ever happened to us. We need your light! Let’s help each other find it! My message is that there’s a void in each of our hearts, and all we’re chasing won’t fill this heart. Only God will.

If you go through hard times, you definitely need to listen to the music. It’s not the complicated type, but it’s the kind that leaves you knowing that there’s hope for whatever season you’re in. If you are human, you definitely should listen to my music- cause my music is meant for the weary and those who need time to reflect on what has been and what will be, if they hold on and just have faith. We all feel this way, so let’s listen to the music! And just to add, I sing pretty good, hahahaha.

You sing beautiful. I love your angelic voice. You sing mainly gospel music. For those who don't have much experience, what makes gospel different than other music genres?

My genre is predominantly Spiritual/Gospel/Christian, predominantly because my relationship with faith has helped me find my identity more and more. In my darkest times, when all these lyrics would come; at 2am, when I cried while writing ‘Nuru Gizani’ (translated Light in the Dark), a song about guilt and shame, all I could find was a still small voice asking me to trust in God. He’s the point at which everything rotates for me, and I believe, for you too.

I will sing about love and mental health and all these other things, but only in relation to the source of all good things, which I believe is God. I understand that it may not be a genre that some of the readers really turn to, but it reminds me that there’s a power that’s higher than me that can help me no matter what I go through all I need is some faith. It’s freeing to know someone stronger has your back. That’s what makes this genre different. It’s much more than we can ever think or imagine. Think of all your dreams. Imagine something even better! That’s what I believe God has in store of all of us.

Beautifully said. I have to say your YouTube channel is incredibly inspiring. I could watch your videos and listen to your wise and heartwarming words for hours. You are only 23 but so wise, do you have an explanation for why you are the way you are?

Thank you for the compliments on the YouTube Channel (Check it out if you haven’t)

Yeah, I’m 23 and just getting a hang of real life I guess, but I’ve learned a lot of painful lessons from my experiences and that of others, as well as life lessons to get through, so I’m sharing as much as I can through the platforms available. 

I am currently doing a Mental Health Podcast called Mind+Faith as well as music to keep us reminded or the miracles available for us in faith. I am grateful that I can learn more and more to keep making the world a better place, or even better, help make better people in a terrible world!

I am eager to help people with their Christian Creative projects, and willing to mentor younger (and older) people who want to grow musically in lyric writing and music writing as well.

Nahash, I have no doubt, that you will achieve a lot more with your songwriting and singing than you imagine today. I look forward to hearing more of your inspiring and empowering work. Thank you for being my guest. If all people from your generation would think, believe and act the way you do, I don't have to be worried about the future! 

You are truly one of a kind. Please never ever doubt yourself. Keep shining! All the best in everything you do. God bless you for being such a lovely and gifted young man. 

If you like to follow Nahash's journey and support him, this is the link to his website, social media sites, and all music stores. 

NAHASH MWATHI PLAYLIST

Honesty & Integrity, Blackout at the Lighthouse! is out now!

Happy Easter everyone! We have great news for our readers! The follow-up story from “Love & Loyalty, the lonely ducky” is finally available!

HONESTY & INTEGRITY - Blackout At The Lighthouse

“Honesty & Integrity” is the follow-up story to “Love & Loyalty”. The little duck with memory loss, Charlie, finally remembers what happened to him and how he ended up in the city park of Vienna in Austria.

This story shows us that you can’t force anyone to love you, not even your family. You can’t force anyone to stand by your side, not even your family. Not everyone is fortunate enough to be raised by a loving and caring family. This is a painful lesson that Charlie has to learn and accept. Blood may make you related, but it doesn’t guarantee you love and loyalty.

The illustrated book is available in print and as an e-book.

Be positive, no matter what!

When you go through difficult times like my mum and I did, you never think that one day you will be able to find inspiration from your darkest and most painful and saddest times. And above that become the Voice4thevoicless and speak out for others who experience the same or similar difficulties, obstacles, challenges, heartbreaking, and extremely lonely and hopeless times as we have.

My memoir DESTINATION FREEDOM, also known as THE STOLEN YEARS IN ZURICH, was the beginning of all. Life difficulties made me become an independent writer and lyricist. My two new songs, 80 MILLION PEOPLE! as well as BLOOD IS ALWAYS RED! are inspired by our sorrows and sadness in life.  

We hope they will inspire our readers and listeners to never give up. Sooner or later, the sun will rise and put the darkness behind you. Be grateful for what you have and stay positive, optimistic, and hopeful no matter what!