Otile Brown forced to clarify sentiments regarding language barrier after US tour

Kenyan singer Otile Brown has been forced to clarify his sentiments regarding what is pulling Kenyan music behind on the global stage.

Otile after landing in Kenya pointed out that Kenyan music was struggling to penetrate the international market due to the limitation of the Swahili language which is not widely spoken.

The sentiments however did not sit well with a section of people who differed with what Otile noted.

Responding to those with diverging views, Otile said he was not pulling down Swahili but was making the point of thinking beyond the local market.

Singer Otile Brown Singer Otile Brown Pulse Live Kenya

READ: Otile Brown explains why Kenyan music is being left behind after US tour

“Some of y’all be acting like am downplaying Swahili Lol Swahili is my everything, it made me who I am today. Try to understand what am trying to say before arguing, many are just after arguing instead of finding solutions,” he stated.

Otile went on to say that the biggest artists on music streaming platforms were those that incorporated English in their musical compositions.

“Go to global platforms like Spotify and see how a song like Bounce by Lexil featuring me is doing, a song that some of you don’t even mess with has Lexil among the most streamed artist on Spotify from East Africa on Spotify. It’s the sound and English that was used in the song because it is relatable to many people in the world,” the singer explained.

Otile Brown Otile Brown Pulse Live Kenya

Making a comparison to other languages like Latino and French, Otile said the songs in the languages only hit once and there were no more hits thereafter.

The singer however affirmed his love for the Swahili language insisting that he aimed to have the region look at music in a different way that would see music go beyond local territories.

Singer Otile Brown Singer Otile Brown Pulse Live Kenya

“Don’t get it twisted I love and respect Swahili and I believe in it and I will give more music in Swahili but this conversation is for the entire region and not Kenya alone. My country has taken so many blows its enough if Kenya was a person it would have been battling depression,” Otile wrote.

In the US, Otile performed in 15 states.

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Otile Brown forced to clarify sentiments regarding language barrier after US tour

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