| Evelyn Wanjiru | |||||||||||
| Birth Date: | 6 May 1990 | ||||||||||
| Birth Place: | Nairobi, Kenya | ||||||||||
| Children: | Mshindi Akweyu Agundabweni | ||||||||||
| Years Active: | –present | ||||||||||
| Module: |
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Evelyn Wanjiru Agundabweni (born 6 May 1990) is a Kenyan gospel singer, worship leader, music director, songwriter, hostess of the annual event "Praise Atmosphere" and co-founder of Bwenieve production. She is best known for her hit songs "Mungu Mkuu", "Celebrate", "Jehovah Elohim", "Waweza," "Hossana," "Nikufahamu", "Asante" and "Tulia" featuring Vicky Kitonga among many others.
Evelyn Wanjiru started her music career at the age of nine years, as a child, she sang in a local church and school music festivals. She is the fourth-born of Helen Muhonja and Crispin Kinyua in a family of five. Born in Nairobi in 1989 She was brought up in the Nakuru Kenya Freehold Estate, where she attended Saint Mary's Girls Primary and Langalanga Secondary.
In her early education, she was deeply involved in drama and the school choir, presaging her later success. She later joined Tears Group, Nakuru, for a course in music before further benefiting from the government of Kenya at the 2010 Talent Academy at Kabarak University Nakuru. After early successes in church and school festivals, commercial success came her way when music producer Agundabweni Akweyu noted her talent. Together they started Bwenieve Productions, a music recording studio. She recorded her first album "Mazingira," which was later re-branded as "Waweza." This album resulted in increased public awareness and accolades, most notably for her songs "Waweza" and "Hossana." “Waweza” was nominated as Worship Song and Wanjiru as New Artist of the Year for the 2012 Groove Awards.
The song "Mazingira" was also selected as the theme song of the Kenyan government's campaign to reclaim Mau Forest in 2010. During the launch of this reforestation project in eastern Mau, the incumbent Prime Minister of Kenya was notably impressed by the song, appointing Wanjiru as the official music ambassador for Mau Forest. Under the auspices of this appointment, Wanjiru began the “Mazingira Bora Afya Bora" campaign for the promotion of good health and a healthy environment.
The title song of her second album "Mungu Mkuu", won the 2015 Groove Awards Album of the Year. The hit song Mungu Mkuu saw Evelyn rise to a higher level of musical stardom, since then she has been consistently releasing songs that are well-received across nations.
From her third album titled "Matendo", the song "Tulia" a collaboration with Vick Kitonga Won 2016 groove awards collaboration of the year, "Nikufahamu" from the same album was nominated for Afrima in the category
In 2017 Evelyn had two groove awards nominations; female artist and "Matendo" as album of the year, she was also nominated for Sauti Awards U.S.A. 2017 female artist of the year and Video of the year (Matendo).
In 2021 Evelyn released her fifth album "Mwanga" Mwanga” which is Swahili for Light. The Mwanga Album was produced live with audience present by her own record Label Bwenieve on August 30, 2021, at The C.U.E.A L.R.C Auditorium. It consists of 12 audio - visual songs. Mwanga Album was released on 24 November exclusively on Boomplay app.
Evelyn has toured different countries like the United States of America where she has performed in over ten different states, South Africa, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Uganda. She has shared the same platforms in ministry alongside renowned singers like Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Chandler Moore, Sinach, Mary Mary, and many more. She has done a collaboration titled "Sawa" with Zimbabwean gospel musician Tembalami the song that is doing very well with a lot of airplay, also she collaborated with Mkhululi Bhebhe on his live DVD recording that was done in Johannesburg South Africa the medley "Hakuna Mungu kama wewe" and in Ghana collaborated with gospel singer Celestine Donkor.
On April 7, 2012, Wanjiru married producer Agundabweni Akweyu at Buruburu Baptist Church Nairobi, where her late father-in-law, Rev. Kenneth Akweyu, who served as a senior pastor. Evelyn and her husband Agundabweni stayed in marriage trying to conceive, on the tenth year they conceived their first son, Mshindi Akweyu Agundabweni, who was born on 6 April 2022. She runs a fashion house named bwenieve clothesline, a mentorship program that has raised more aspiring musicians, together with her husband producer Agundabweni Akweyu they run Bwenieve Production and other businesses.
Complete Albums by Evelyn Wanjiru
| Italic Title: | no |
| Waweza | |
| Type: | Studio |
| Artist: | Evelyn Wanjiru |
| Released: | 2012 |
| Genre: | Contemporary worship music, contemporary Christian music |
| Length: | 23:00 |
| Label: | Bwenieve |
| Producer: | Agundabweni Akweyu |
| Italic Title: | no |
| Mungu Mkuu | |
| Type: | Studio |
| Artist: | Evelyn Wanjiru |
| Released: | 2015 |
| Genre: | Contemporary worship music, contemporary Christian music |
| Length: | 58:00 |
| Label: | Bwenieve |
| Producer: | Agundabweni Akweyu |
| Italic Title: | no |
| Matendo | |
| Type: | Studio |
| Artist: | Evelyn Wanjiru |
| Released: | 2017 |
| Genre: | Contemporary worship music, contemporary Christian music |
| Length: | 32:00 |
| Label: | Bwenieve |
| Producer: | Agundabweni Akweyu |
| Italic Title: | no |
| Mwanga Album | |
| Type: | Live |
| Artist: | Evelyn Wanjiru |
| Cover: | Evelyn Wanjiru Mwanga Album Cover.png |
| Released: | 2021 |
| Recorded: | 30/08/2021 |
| Venue: | C.U.E.A L.R.C Auditorium |
| Genre: | Contemporary worship music, contemporary Christian music |
| Length: | 2 hr 11 min |
| Label: | Bwenieve |
| Producer: | Agundabweni Akweyu |
| Year | Album | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Waweza | written by Evelyn | |
| 2015 | Mungu Mkuu | written by evelyn | |
| 2017 | Matendo | written by Evelyn | |
| 2019 | Celebrate | written by Evelyn | |
| 2021 | Mwanaga | written by Evelyn |
Songs:
Waweza Album (2012)
Mungu Mkuu Album (2015)
Matendo Album (2017)'
Celebrate Album (2019)'
Mwanga Album (2021)'[1]
1. Mwanga Album Intro
2. You're Worthy
3. Utukufu (Live)
4. Mwanga
5. Nanyenyekea(Live)
6. Everlasting(Live)
7. Naringa na Yesu
8. Baba Inuka(Live)
9. Mungu Mkuu (Live)
10. Sifa Zitande
11. Umwema
12. Jehovah Elohim (Live)
13. Wonderful
| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Impact Awards | Honorary | Everlasting | Winner | ||
| 2020 | Maranatha Awards | Best live ministration | Hakuna Mungu Kama wewe | Winner | ||
| 2019 | Mwafaka Awards | Female Artist of the year | Celebrate | Winner | ||
| 2019 | Groove Awards | Artist of the year | Celebrate | Nominee | ||
| 2019 | Groove Awards | Worship song of the year | Celebrate | Nominee | ||
| 2019 | Groove Awards | Song of the year | Celebrate | Nominee | ||
| 2018 | Sauti Awards U.S.A | Worship song East,west,South Africa | Jehovah Elohim | Winner | [3] | |
| 2018 | Maranatha Awards | Female Artist of the year | Jehovah Elohim | Winner | ||
| 2018 | Maranatha Awards | Collaboration of the year | Sawa | winner | ||
| 2017 | Groove Awards | Female Artist of the year | Matendo | Nominee | [4] | |
| 2017 | Groove Awards | Album of the year | Matendo | Nominee | [5] | |
| 2017 | Sauti Awards U.S.A | Female Artist of the year E.A | Matendo | Nominee | [6] | |
| 2017 | Sauti Awards U.S.A | Video of the year | Matendo | Nominee | [7] | |
| 2016 | Afrima Awards | Best female African inspirational | Nikufahamu | Nominee | [8] | |
| 2016 | Mwafaka Awards | Female artist of the year | Nikufahamu | Nominee | [9] | |
| 2016 | Mwafaka Awards | Collabo of the year | Tulia | Nominee | ||
| 2016 | xtreem Awards | Female artist of the year | Nikufahamu | Nominee | [10] | |
| 2016 | xtreem Awards | Worship Song of the year | Nikufahamu | Nominee | ||
| 2016 | Groove Awards | Worship Song of the year | Nikufahamu | Winner | ||
| 2016 | Groove Awards | Female Artist of the year | Nikufahamu | Nominee | [11] | |
| 2016 | Groove Awards | Collabo of the year | Tulia | Winner | ||
| 2015 | Groove Awards | Album of the year | Mungu Mkuu | Winner | [12] | |
| 2015 | Groove Awards | Female Artist of the year | Mungu Mkuu | Nominee | [13] | |
| 2015 | Groove Awards | Worship Song of the year | Mungu Mkuu | Nominee | [14] | |
| 2015 | Xtreem Awards | Worship Song of the year | Mungu Mkuu | Winner | [15] | |
| 2015 | Xtreem Awards | Collabo of the year | Tulia | Winner | [16] | |
| 2015 | Xtreem Awards | Female artist of the year | Mungu Mkuu | Nominee | [17] | |
| 2015 | Mwafaka Awards | Female Artist of the year | Mungu Mkuu | Nominee | [18] | |
| 2015 | Mwafaka Awards | Song of the year | Mungu Mkuu | Nominee | [19] | |
| 2014 | Xtreem Awards | Worship Song of the year | Waweza | Winner | ||
| 2014 | Xtreem Awards | Central Kenya Artist of the year | Waweza | Winner | ||
| 2012 | Groove Awards | Worship Song of the year | Waweza | Nominee | [20] |