Sheila Mwanyigah’s Road To The Top & Fame

She sits like a rose among the thorn trees, Sheila Mwanyigha does, at the Thorn Tree restaurant at the Sarova Stanley. You will agree her soft and lilting, tinkling, musical voice is a reminiscent of the tintinnabulation of a pretty chapel’s bells.
Not surprising, when you consider that Sheila Mwanyigha gets her bacon from being a ‘voice’ on radio, as an MC, musician (nom de guerre, Nikki), and as a presence on television.
A daughter to two cops —late dad, living mom— and the sibling to a brother in the military. Though she is not with Tusker Project Fame (TPF) as a hostess this year, she likes changing costumes and now got a breakfast show with NTV.
She spoke to Standard Digital Entertainment on her journey to fame and below is an excerpt of the interview.
What does she think of socialites like the ‘Boss Lady’ Huddah Njoroge?
Everyone has to decide for themselves how they wish to be perceived in the public eye: how you get, and how you use, your fifteen minutes in the spotlight.
When did she start being in the public limelight?
She started singing as Nikki when she was in campus, with the likes of Jimmi Gathu, doing Mapenzi Tele in 1997. Tedd Josiah encouraged her to do commercials, and with the cash she made, she just didn’t buy clothes (although she did buy a few), but helped her mom pay fees for her kid brother, as well as pay her own at campus.

Sheila Mwanyiga, Radio Personality

A true believer in the saying ‘when God closes one door, he opens a window,’ Sheila Mwanyigha is a master burglar … never having seen a window of opportunity that she didn’t clamber through.
How did she get to Radio?
She strongly believes in the saying ‘when God closes one door, he opens a window.’ Having not had the funds to go to New York University to pursue her Masters’, in 1999 she heard a new radio station (KISS) was opening its airwaves, she rushed for the interview where one von Voggs hired her, in spite of her ‘Nikki-esque’ belly button piercing at the time, and she ended up working with radio tsarinas like Caroline Mutoko.
How long did she take to be on air?
She was like a duck thrown into the deep end of the swimming pool, with only four days of intense training before hitting the airwaves. However she was a natural.
Apart from Kiss 100, which other radio stations has she worked for?
Seven years later, she was united with Phil Matthews at Capital 98.4 FM. These days, her soft voice and gentle humour grace the Easy FM airwaves.
What time does she wake up for her morning show?
She is always up and running 3am for her morning show, which is followed by another show on radio. At the very least, she spends seven hours in the studio, per day. I spend seven hours in studio.
What is her secret to success in the media industry?
Life does not give opportunities to anyone, just because you’re cute and hot, and ‘all that. You go in there, tell the client or employer what you can offer, and if given the chance, you work your tushie off to deliver, because word is bond!  Also, get along with everyone, because who needs foes, or even frenemies, when you can have friends?
What is her advice to those who want to join the media industry?
Young people, especially girls, should go out there (positively) and not hide under a rock, waiting for their better talent to be discovered…  If, every day, you just sit at home, twittering away on social media on how the wazee have hogged up all the jobs, then how do you expect to be discovered?
What moments have marked her out, apart from her debut with Mapenzi Tele?
In 2004, she landed at the Chaguo la Teeniez in a chopper. She had just hooked up with Prezzo after breaking her engagement to Simon Roston. It was a moment that set a bar and created the tradition where celebs always try to outdo each other at the event.
Then there was that infamous car crash that almost took her life on her way back to Nairobi from Meru, way back in 2007. “Life is short!”
[Courtesy: The Standard]