Susan Adhiambo Owiyo (Suzanna Owiyo) takes over the Ngoma Stage.
Photo by Joe Furgal, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution
Susan Adhiambo Owiyo (Suzanna Owiyo) performs music that combines traditional styles with contemporary instruments.
Photo by Pruitt Allen, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution
Susan Adhiambo Owiyo a.k.a. Suzanna Owiyo was raised around music, as her father was a well-known nyatiti player. She began her career straight out of high school singing backup for Sally Oyugi. After working with several other artists, she went back to school at the Kenya Conservatoire of Music. In 2002 she won the Kora Award for Most Promising Female Artist. After her success in Kenya, she began touring internationally in places such as Paris and the Netherlands. Her work today combines traditional styles with contemporary rhythms.
