Bakhita is an established singer/songwriter who also plays piano. In addition to this, they also specialize in stage and set design and are an outstanding painter.
Some of Bakhita’s most notable achievements are having their sets featured on Vogue, working for Spotify and United Nations, opening their own Art Studio by age 22 and winning a SONDEKA award last year.
They use their platform to advocate for mental health and gender issues through their art and it is truly inspiring. The Sauce interviewed Bhakita about her career and mental health awareness through music.
Q. Tell us about yourself. What lead you to art and what inspires your art.
Bakhita realized their musical affinity at a young age and started piano and singing classes in primary school and participated in music festivals. They say that it was very important them that they took their art very seriously. In high-school they spearheaded a petition to introduce music as a subject. They joined university to study psychology but dropped out to pursue art full time. Now they gain majority of their income from stage/set design and music. Their art is inspired by the things they go trough battling with mental health.
Q. Tell us why you are so adamant about talking about mental health and addressing it through your art.
They struggled with depression and anxiety for a large part of their lives and is open about the fact that they even attempted suicide multiple times. Coming out of this made them realize that these conversations need to be had. They aim to “grant youth with the support to know that they are not alone”. Mental health is not a new issue and talking about it empowers people to know that they can be “both weak and strong” and that is okay. Bakhita’s message is that we are all going through something and we can all share in that pain and take comfort in knowing we are not alone.
Q. What advice do you have for people who are struggling with anxiety and/or depression but are still trying to get up every morning and achieve their goals?
“Keep having faith”. Bakhita also emphasizes the importance of giving yourself positive affirmations. They said that oftentimes they stand in front of a mirror and remind themselves that they are “that b*tch”. Don’t tear yourself down or make yourself feel small, it is easy to be hard on yourself when you are suffering with mental illness. It is better to recognize that if something is not working then it is not working, “give yourself grace”. Lastly, let go of your expectations of what should and should not be. Just be yourself, listen to yourself and surrender to your own thought processes.
Q. Talk to us about your artistic evolution; learning about music, set/stage design and painting and finally, synchronizing the three.
When they first started out, all their artistic affinities were far from each other. When they first started painting, they would copy the work of other artists so as to master the technique and get the art down, eventually they started creating original pieces and using them as album covers for their music. Stage design began with them volunteering to help out at certain festivals and realized that building events was their chosen path after helping to create the stage at Kilifi New Year. Covid came around and nudged Bakhita into learning set design because there were no events and they also needed to create sets for their music videos. Marrying the three happened because Bakhita wanted to be the subject of their own creation so they would paint, set/stage design for their own music, portfolio and friends. Opening their own art studio allowed them to fully immerse themselves in their work and eventually they started to monetize this art and do it for other people for income.
Q. Many people perceive art as a hard profession to break through in. What advice do you have for them?
Art is a very difficult industry to break through but if it something you are 100% dedicated to and you know that no other path can give you the same amount of satisfaction. You can always start by doing art on the side and seeing how it goes from there. Do not be afraid to get out there and network because those connections will take you far in your career, but not as far as passion will take you. Bakhita really emphasizes that you must really love artistry to embark on it as a full-time career.
It is evident to us that art runs through Bakhita’s veins. They are an inspiring individual that not only create art in different forms but create art with deep meaning and intention. They are truly an inspiration for young artists all over the country.
