It was supposed to be just another DVD/VCD launch. At least that is what the people at Alliance Francaise had in mind when they allocated singer Iddi Achieng a small but strategic corridor for last week's function. That turned out to be a big miscalculation.

Thirty guests were expected for the launch but in the end there were over 150 fans, excluding journalists. The fans insisted that they were not going to let the songbird make a small affair of an occasion that would mark a milestone in her music career. Some wanted to be the first to get copies of her DVD/VCD collection.

"Did we say it was a performance? This was just a small launch," the singer who was visibly surprised at the turnout was heard inquiring. If the numbers puzzled her, the list of dignitaries must have surprised her more. Among those in attendance were Dr Achieng' Ong'ong'a, the managing director of the Kenya Tourist Board and Ida Odinga, prime minister Raila Odinga's wife. Ida counts herself as one of Iddi's fans and could not miss the occasion.

"I am completely baffled, shocked, I want to cry. Someone told me Ida was interested in coming but I did not believe it," Iddi, who spots dreadlocks, said as she welcomed the premier's wife.

Two descriptions

Modesty and a down-to-earth nature are two descriptions that have come to define Iddi. Unlike most artistes, she is rarely in the media and prefers to make her music speak for her.

Even her diehard fans who attended the night were just as surprised to see her remarkable achievements when she showed a video clip capturing her musical journey that started at a tender age. The last-born in a family of four, Iddi was born on Idd Mubarak and was initially nick-named Iddi Baraka, a name that she decided to stick with. Coming from an artistic family, she found it natural to follow in the family's footsteps.

"I come from an artistic background. My brother played the guitar and piano while my two sisters were in the choir. They would string me along and that is where it all started," recalls Iddi. Music, poetry and acting brought out the best in her at school. At Asumbi Secondary School, she was one of the stars of the annual drama festival for the entire period she was a student there. On completing her secondary school, Iddi joined a number of theatre groups to further her interest. It is during this time that a dream opportunity came knocking. She got a chance to pursue a diploma in theatre at a college in Sweden and this is where she got to put a professional touch to a career that she prefers to call a hobby.

Her newly-acquired knowledge in acting saw her land roles with some of the biggest theatre groups in Kenya. Heartstrings Ensemble, Mbalamwezi Players and Tufani Arts Ensemble are some of the groups she acted in. Iddi was also involved in productions for the British Council, Goethe Institut and the Kenya National Theatres, among others.

As her theatre career was blossoming, so was her music one. Her first work to hit the music shelves was an album entitled Kaboum boum named in an adoption of the sound of the African drum. Released in 2001 and ushered by a lead track by the same name, it unveiled the rich powerful voice that reminded one of Miriam Makeba's powerful vocal strength. That was closely followed by the Tabu Osusa produced Kalapapla (the sound of the Luo Ohangla) released in 2004 and where she collaborated with Owuor Odhialo (now in the UK) and Giddi Giddi Maji Maji who were the most talked about group in the country in 2005.

The success of Kalapapla saw Iddi being invited for performances in Norway and Sweden, her first opportunity to spread her wings to the international arena. In fact, she was selling more in the Scandinavian countries than she did back at home. The following year, Iddi alongside the Nairobi City Ensemble landed a sponsorship from the German Embassy to produce an album with Hans Klaus Quartet Band from Sweden. The product of that collaboration was the widely acclaimed album Mama Africa.

So successful was the album that an agency working under the Swedish Embassy adopted one of the songs Girl Child which they have been using as their theme song in an awareness campaign against female genital mutilation and early marriages. While Iddi was doing well on the regional and international market with regular invites to festivals in Ethiopia, Djibouti and Europe, she realised that she was not doing much for her own fans in Kenya and, therefore, dedicated her fourth album to the Kenyan market.

Released in 2007, Thim Lich (thim meaning forest, Lich meaning unpredictable, wondrous, formidable) is one album that has been embraced by music fans across the country as a true fusion of traditional African beats such as 'Ohangla' and 'Benga'. "I chose the title Thim Lich because in a forest you meet all sorts of creatures, good and bad," she says. She likens the forest to the music in her album Thim Lich. Some of the songs are sad, some express fear while others are love songs.

The album features tracks such as Fitina and Dodo which have been popular with music lovers and have also received huge airplay. In fact, for three months following the album's release, it was the best selling at the Nu Metro music store.

The DVD/VCD compilation, which Iddi named 'My Heritage My Pride', features a collection of works from the four albums and it captures Iddi's journey from the theatres to the artiste revered on the international platform.