Tymilyfe

Entrepreneur, Singer, Songwriter

TYMILIFE is an abbreviation for Thank You Mum I Love You For Ever
It is a tribute to his late mother.

History & Music Career

His actual name is Samson Otieno and Tymilyfe is his stage name.
Tymilyfe, who is 29 years old, was born in one of Africa’s largest informal settlements, Kibera. This is a slum located in the heart of Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi.
He is a singer, song writer, actor and entrepreneur, who is very passionate about education and art.
He started his music journey in 2007 back in Kibera. He worked on a few projects between 2007 and  2012. But gave up soon after since he wasn’t making the kind of progress that he expected at that time.
However, in late 2016, his good friends Shamir( a singer & producer) and DJ Lorc urged him to get back in the groove of things musically. And with the help of the two he successfully redirected and redefined his music style. With Shamir offering vocal lessons and producing most of his music.
He launched his official debut single “Lipstick” on February 14th 2018 to a warm reception. The audio was recorded in Kibera but the visuals were shot in London. This project was actually inspired by a lady he saw wearing the most beautiful shade of purple lipstick . He then followed it up with two other
singles “Wrong Information’’ and ‘’Agenda’’ to an equally warm reception.
His main style is afro-dancehall. However, he likes to experiment with different genres and often has an element of more than one genre in his projects. His production team understands his style so perfectly… so it’s very easy to work with him. His art is inspired by his surrounding environment and personal experiences with some of his biggest influences including Bob Marley, Shamir Tadeiya, Oliver Mtukuzi, Ray Charles, Lucky Dube amongst others.

Family

He has 2 blood brothers (Anan & Jay), two step siblings (Barbara & Gideon) and over 10 other step siblings. He is a husband and a father to a beautiful daughter (Keshi).

Entrepreneurship

He is the current CEO of Tymilyfe Limited (www.tymilyfe.com). A Kenyan based Entertainment company that is committed to supporting talents from less privileged backgrounds in Kenya’s informal settlements.
He is currently based in London, UK with his family.

Tymilyfe’s Personal statement

I am passionate about education, because I have missed so many opportunities because I did not have relevant qualifications. I would hate for someone else to go through that because I understand that not everyone will have as much luck as I have gotten, to be where I am today.
This is why I helped start the first free community library in Kibera.
And, I am passionate about art simply because I believe if it wasn’t for art I wouldn’t be here today. I believe that art saved my life. I would have probably been leading a different and dangerous lifestyle or would still be in the streets. Street theatre and music paved the way for me to be the person that
I am today. I am a former street child. But that plays a very minimal role in my drive and focus.