Lit Boy: Why I chose to sing on the streets – VIDEO

Voice projection is a skill famous Tiktoker Only Lit Boy had to learn in order to have a high pitch required to sing on the streets. Born Edward Mbaria, Only Lit Boy elected to practice his voice projection in a field near his home every morning  for a week, where he used to shout and enjoy hearing his echoes. The 20-year old now performs at market places in an unusual tone that has everyone looking at him. “Being an altar boy who sang in church boosted my confidence in being around a crowd of people. When I was in primary as well as high school, I participated in drama festivals and that has been my stepping stone,” he told Nairobi News in an exclusively interview. Even though he doesn't earn a dime for singing in the streets, Only Lit Boy says he's been approached by brands who want him to wear their merchandise while singing. Driven from seeing his peers and even youth older than him get wasted through drug abuse, Only Lit Boy wants to promote awareness of societal ills through his art. “From song selection, my team and I choose which message we need to pass out there. I sing to pass messages.” Through his social media pages, Only Lit Boy has been able to generate traffic and make people laugh, something he says is his driving force. “The economy currently is tough and everyone is so fixated on what they can do to improve their life standards. Seeing people smile and laugh as I sing encourages me knowing that at that juncture they are not worrying about life hurdles,” he adds. Shooting his videos is his main challenge, he confirms. His team has to scout the location, get to the location and plan how the video will be done. “Convincing people to be recorded also poses as a challenge because many a times people do not want to pause what they are doing.” Despite the challenges, Only Lit Boy says that giving his mother a better life makes him push through and work extra hard. “In five years’ time, I want to be an icon. I want to be a mirror of the society as a young person,” he adds. Understanding one’s craft is a necessity in ensuring an artist grows in Kenya. Only Lit Boy says that talent in Kenya pays only when an artist knows their skill and perfects in it. “My goal is to see happy faces and hear people say their day was made from watching my videos. That in itself pushes me to provide content every single day.”