Kenyan music producer Motif Di Don has responded to claims that the country’s music scene is becoming mediocre as he prepares to release a new edition of his Elev8 Live series featuring music producers. The latest project is expected to arrive this week, with the Elev8 Live Mombasa Edition scheduled to drop on Thursday. The announcement places renewed attention on Kenya’s music industry and the need to create stronger platforms for producers, artists and other creative professionals. Rather than accepting broad criticism of the local scene, the initiative highlights the talent already operating within Kenya while addressing some of the structural challenges that can prevent promising creatives from building sustainable careers. Elev8 Live has increasingly positioned itself as a platform focused not only on music production but also on mentorship, financial literacy, industry exposure and long-term career development.
Motif Di Don’s response comes at a time when discussions about the quality and direction of Kenyan music continue to attract attention from artists, producers, fans and industry stakeholders. Claims that the Kenyan music scene is mediocre often overlook the wide range of sounds, producers and emerging artists working across different parts of the country. Kenya has a diverse music culture that includes established commercial genres as well as newer sounds developing through digital platforms and independent creative communities. Motif’s work through Elev8 Live reflects an attempt to strengthen this ecosystem by giving talented creatives access to opportunities that extend beyond simply recording a song. The programme was created through a partnership between Motif Di Don and NCBA, with the stated goal of discovering, mentoring and supporting new music talent while helping creatives develop sustainable careers.
The Elev8 Live Mombasa Edition adds an important regional dimension to the programme because Mombasa has a strong musical identity and a growing pool of young creatives. The coastal city has long contributed to Kenya’s cultural landscape, with artists drawing from local traditions, contemporary African sounds and international influences. By taking the Elev8 Live concept to Mombasa, the initiative can provide greater visibility to talent outside Nairobi and create opportunities for producers whose work may not always receive national attention. The decision to focus an edition on music producers is also significant because producers play a central role in shaping the sound, identity and commercial potential of modern music. The project therefore offers an opportunity to look beyond performers and recognise the creative professionals who build the musical foundations behind successful records.
The announcement that the Mombasa edition will drop on Thursday has also generated interest because it expands the Elev8 Live story beyond artist development. The programme has already been described by NCBA as a platform designed to discover, mentor and scale new music talent with both financial and non-financial support. The bank has identified access to finance and financial literacy as important challenges facing creatives, while its partnership with Motif aims to help address some of those gaps. NCBA’s 2025 integrated report states that the bank partnered with Motif Di Don and the HEVA Fund around the ELEV8 Live Studio, alongside initiatives focused on creative economy development and financing. This approach shows that the programme is designed to address the business side of music as well as the creative side.
One of the strongest arguments against describing the Kenyan music industry as simply mediocre is the amount of talent that continues to emerge despite the challenges facing creatives. The issue is often less about a lack of ability and more about access to professional resources, funding, mentorship, marketing, distribution and reliable income opportunities. NCBA has reported that Kenya’s creative sector contributes approximately 5.3 percent of the country’s GDP and supports more than 300,000 creative entrepreneurs. Those figures demonstrate that the creative economy represents a substantial part of Kenya’s broader economic activity rather than being a minor entertainment sector. Elev8 Live seeks to build on this potential by treating creative talent as an economic asset that can be developed through structured support.
Motif Di Don has also placed considerable emphasis on helping artists understand the business responsibilities that come with a music career. Previous reporting on Elev8 Live highlighted the producer’s concerns about talented artists struggling because they cannot access quality studios or the resources required to develop their careers. The programme subsequently expanded into a structured platform that combines music opportunities with lessons around branding, financial literacy and career management. NCBA has also described its wider creative economy efforts as an attempt to bridge gaps in financial services for artists and creative enterprises. This matters because producing good music does not automatically guarantee a sustainable career, particularly when artists lack knowledge about contracts, royalties, budgeting, publishing and business development.
The producer-focused Elev8 Live series could therefore encourage a broader conversation about the people behind Kenya’s music. Producers influence everything from the beat and arrangement to the overall sonic identity of a record, yet their contribution can sometimes receive less public attention than that of performing artists. Giving producers their own platform can help audiences understand the creative decisions that shape the music they hear. It can also create opportunities for collaborations between established industry figures and younger producers who are still developing their sound. In a competitive digital music environment, such exposure can help producers build professional networks and potentially reach artists, labels, brands and other industry partners.
The Mombasa edition also fits into a wider expansion of Elev8 Live that has continued through 2026. In March, reports indicated that a new season of the programme would support 32 emerging artists through mentorship, industry access and financial assistance. The programme has increasingly focused on helping young creatives understand both the artistic and business aspects of their careers. That direction suggests that Elev8 Live is being developed as more than a music showcase, with the broader objective of helping young people turn creative skills into viable livelihoods. The Mombasa edition can build on that foundation by bringing the programme closer to another important creative community within Kenya.
The financial component of the initiative is another reason the programme has attracted attention within Kenya’s creative sector. NCBA and HEVA Fund introduced financing products aimed specifically at creatives, including event financing, invoice discounting, purchase order financing, working capital financing and start-up incubator financing. These products are intended to support areas such as production, equipment, marketing, touring, distribution, content creation and business development. Such interventions recognise that artists and producers need access to capital at different stages of their careers, particularly when traditional financial systems may not always accommodate creative businesses. Elev8 Live therefore represents part of a wider effort to connect creative talent with financial tools that can help turn artistic work into sustainable enterprises.
For Kenyan music fans, the arrival of the Elev8 Live Mombasa Edition on Thursday should provide an opportunity to discover new creative voices and gain a closer look at the producers shaping the country’s sound. It also gives Motif Di Don another platform to challenge the idea that Kenya lacks quality music by focusing attention on the people actively building the industry. The debate around the state of Kenyan music is unlikely to disappear, but initiatives such as Elev8 Live show that criticism can be met with practical action rather than arguments alone. Creating platforms for discovery, mentorship, financing and exposure can help address some of the barriers that keep talented creatives from reaching their full potential. The success of such programmes will ultimately depend on whether the opportunities created can translate into lasting careers and stronger connections across Kenya’s music industry.
The Elev8 Live Mombasa Edition arrives with a message that extends beyond one Thursday release. Kenya has a large and diverse pool of creative talent, but talent needs infrastructure, investment, professional knowledge and consistent opportunities to develop into a sustainable career. Motif Di Don’s work with Elev8 Live, supported by NCBA and other partners, is contributing to that conversation by connecting music development with financial and business support. Rather than reducing the Kenyan music scene to a question of whether it is good or mediocre, the initiative points toward a more useful question about how the industry can better support the people creating its future. As the Mombasa edition prepares to drop, attention will now turn to the producers featured in the series and the role they can play in shaping the next chapter of Kenyan music.
