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Just like many other creatives in the world, Nyashinski has his own way of getting in the zone when he is recording a song.
Some artists choose to do breathing exercises, others meditate, take alcohol or engage in other activities that help them let loose.
Nyashinski, who is one of Kenya’s best lyricists also has his own routine which has been witnessed by celebrities who have had the pleasure of watching him record his hit songs.
In three separate features, film maker Abel Mutua, Polycarp Fancy Fingers of Sauti Sol and music producer Keggah have all told a similar story of the magic that happens when the rapper is in the booth.
In an episode on his YouTube channel, Mutua said he was invited to a recording session by Cedo who has produced music for Nyashinski where he met the rapper at a hotel room in Eldoret for the first time.
Recording Marathon Runner with Abel Mutua
Abel met Cedo during a Safaricom Live tour when they were both part of the crew and the producer noticed how fascinated Mutua was while watching him make music.
“After we finished the show in Eldoret we went to Boma Hotel where our rooms were and Cedo hinted that he would invite me for a recording that night. At around 9.30pm he called and asked me to go to his room where he had set up a recording booth,” the actor said.
Abel was excited to meet Nyashinski but as talked, he noticed that the rapper seemed engaged in his phone and the actor thought he was intruding but the stories continued.
“After he finished multi-tasking, (talking and writing a song) he signaled Cedo that he was ready to record and asked me to switch off the lights. I was a bit startled because it was now 11pm meaning that we would be in complete darkness.
“Nyashinski told me that he prefers to record in the dark because he likes to feel as though he is alone in the studio. He gave the lyrics one last look and I switched off the lights. By the end of the recording session, we knew it would be a hit,” Abel Mutua recalled.
Recording Now You Know with Beat Ya Keggah
Music producer Beat ya Keggah was the genius behind Nyashinski’s comeback song and he explained what transpired after Nonini linked him up with the rapper who was living in the US at the time.
Keggah drove Nyashinski to a studio where he was also surprised when the hitmaker asked to record in the darkness.
“He goes into the booth and closes all the curtains and switches off all the lights. Everyone on the other side of the room was shocked and I was confused,” Keggah recalled in an interview on CTA.
The producer volunteered to get some snacks because it seemed like it would be a long night. However, 6 minutes later, Keggah came back from the vending machine only to find out that Nyashinski had already finished recording the song.
Recording Short and Sweet with Polycarp Fancy Fingers.
Polycarp, in a recent CTA interview said that Short and Sweet was recorded when Nyashinski visited him one evening as he hanged out with other Sauti Sol members.
Just like Abel Mutua, they thought Nyashinski was just on his phone and not part of the conversation until it was time to record.
“You don’t even know he is writing, he just surprises you...he writes on his phone so you think he is texting or on Instagram and not part of the discussion or maybe he doesn’t like it.
“Nyash likes recording by himself. I had to chase everyone out of the studio and we record,” Polycarp said as he reiterated how much privacy the rapper likes.
Music experts say that bright lighting in a studio is likely to make an artist feel more self-conscious, especially if there are other people in the room watching.
However, a darker room would quell some of this anxiety they may be feeling and help them relax.