Paul Wekesa, a little-known gospel singer, became an instant sensation on Sunday, July 19, as thousands of Kenyans rallied to support him.
Wekesa had an online comedian and influencer King Kalala, real name Prudence Tonui, to thank after she shared details of her roadside chat with Wekesa and challenged Kenyans to help.
Apparently, Wekesa had approached Kalala and her friend by the road and asked them to subscribe to his Youtube channel as he needed at least 1,000 subscribers to secure support to produce music videos for his songs.
When he made the request, Wekesa was unaware of Kalala's online popularity but her appeal saw the singer gain well over 1,000 subscribers on the channel in a matter of hours.
By the time of publication, Wekesa had already racked up over 1,600 subscribers with the number quickly rising.
"So this guy today, just stopped me and my friend by roadside and said..."Sasa warembo? Nimeweka mawimbo flani yt muende muangalie alafu musubscribe..corporate wamesema nifike 1000 subscribers nipewe nafasi ya kuunda videos"
"(Hi ladies, I have some songs on Youtube I want you to watch them and subscribe to my channel. The corporates have told me to get to 1,000 subscribers to get a chance to make music videos) So help him out," Kalala had shared.
The singer's dedication truly paid off as the newfound fans also streamed and shared his singles including Anania na Safira, Mletee Bwana and Mungu Alinena Na Musa.
"Do your thing sasa. Now you have a new fan base now. God bless you," wrote Ryan Leslie on Anania na Safira.
Many who supported Wekesa noted that it was commendable that Kenyans came together to take him one step closer to his dreams.
Notably, the surge in subscribers put Wekesa in a better position to monetize his content.
Currently, Youtube requires creators to have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours on their videos within the past twelve months to qualify for monetization.
As Wekesa continued to surpass his target, Kalala advised him to make the most of the opportunity.
"I appreciate the support you've shown him. Thank you very much. I hope he makes the best of the opportunity he has and be the best he can be," she wrote.
Listen to Wekesa's Anania and Safira below:
{"preview_thumbnail":"/files/styles/video_embed_wysiwyg_preview/public/video_thumbnails/gln7CbEHy-0.jpg?itok=g7nuT2G6","video_url":"","settings":{"responsive":1,"width":"854","height":"480","autoplay":0},"settings_summary":["Embedded Video (Responsive)."]}
