LIT 360: Musician Gin Ideal speaks on her journey to fame

Virginia Maina or Gin Ideal as she is popularly known by her fans, is known for her songs “Rede”, “Kuna Kitu” and her latest song “shuga”. PHOTO| COURTESY.

What you need to know:

  • Her popularity and singing prowess saw her named the official face of Supporting Women Artistes now, SWAN in 2017.

Once they break into the limelight, many believe their journey was a fairy tale - that they had it easy into stardom.

But speaking on Lit 360 music show, musician Virginia Maina or Gin Ideal, said life into stardom was punctuated by many ups and downs.

Gin Ideal, as she is popularly known by her fans, said it takes extra hard work to come into the limelight, most of the time years.

Her debut song was titled “Rede” in which she featured dancehall king Wyre the love child that was released in 2016.
She later recorded “Kuna Kitu” the same year that had rhythmic upbeat sound. Her latest song “shuga” is currently riding high on the charts.

Her popularity and singing prowess saw her named the official face of Supporting Women Artistes now, SWAN in 2017.

“The initiative was great and is something that is close to my heart, because it is all about supporting women artistes in the entertainment industry,” said Gin.

What she learnt during her time at SWAN is that female artistes need to put in twice the effort to be taken seriously by key industry players.

Maina says the industry doubts a woman on whether she can handle herself especially when the going gets tough.

“It is very important to have a team behind you, which can help you grow in a healthy environment. It also makes you less vulnerable when it comes to falling prey to shady producers or promoters,” said Gin.

She added: “To be focused and passionate with what you do, you need to keep going because it is only you as a person who knows what you really want.”

To her, music makes the world go round and it is her everything.