Kiri Kiri: Focusing on things that matter.

AFRLUENCER’s cover’s February 2019 star is a radio host at BreezeFM, Event Host, Voice Over Artist and Brand Ambassador for some of Zimbabwe’s fast growing brands. She is a qualified Political Scientist with a passion for all things nice. The self-made star shared not only her inspiration and journey to the successful carrier she has, but also her hopes for the future.

Tell us about the brand ‘Kiri Kiri’

The journey all started when I was employed at Fair Talk Communications as a Personal Assistant to the CEO, given my background as a Political Scientist. The organisation owns two radio stations; Skyz Metro in Bulawayo and Breeze FM in Victoria Falls. I got an assignment to Victoria Falls one day, on a random I decided to do a session. The radio wasn’t live at the time. This is when the team noticed I had talent, and this was raw talent. There were people who mentored me and nurtured my talent. To name a few, Qhubani Moyo, Mgcini Moyo and Lesly Phiri, they made the brand “Kiri Kiri”. They allowed me to go on even when I made mistakes. Lesley Phiri, being a journalist, helped learn techniques that I use even now. He taught me a lot about radio etiquette, like civilization, growth and building a community with everything that I say.

I listened to local and international DJs and presenters in order to learn about radio. Locally I listened to Misred and KVG. These women have great skill in terms of radio presenting. It was important that I use this to build on my uniqueness. Another important thing that built my carrier is politics, it all numbers. In that way it is important to me to reach numbers when I speak. These factors have all combined to build the brand that I am today.

What motivates you to do the work you do?

What drives me to do what I do is the power of Influence. As an influencer I needed to recognize the importance of putting a mark on the world, my mark. The importance of putting a brand out there, which is something people cannot pay me back for. To me it is my time, effort and the hard work that comes with the work that I do.

What major challenges have you came across along the way?

From the time that I started, I faced quite a number of challenges. It wasn’t easy. Being a new MC and being new at hosting events made it difficult to get gigs, when people do not know you it’s difficult for them to work with you. Penetrating the market in an environment where there are a lot of people doing the same thing as I do was the biggest challenge.

What has helped you in your career as an Influencer, DJ and MC?

I had to rely a lot on my social media, you will find part of the brand is that I write, I am well-spoken and I always- always use captions that inspire. My captions became my way of communication, it could be what I’m feeling, what I’m up to and that could go on for a month. Social media has been the greater part of all my work, given the speed and reach I get from there. It’s a tool which I think most businesses in Zimbabwe are yet to put into full practice. Special part of it is data mining, which allows me to put out information and ads to the right people, people who have an interest in what I do. The down side is that it can be costly sometimes, though not as costly as the conventional methods of advertising. I believe in putting in money to make more money. My character was also my other plus, I am bubbly and I am a happy soul, this attracts a lot of people to want to work with me. I have had the opportunity to work with a lot of different brands. We have supported each other as entrepreneurs. I have worked with Black Diamond ZW, Queen Diva Hair, After Sock Boutique and a lot of other shops at Haddon and Sly in Bulawayo. These brands have promoted me from the start of my career.

Aside from that, I have a manager who makes sure I get thing right, makes sure that I’m not late for work, gigs and meetings and helps me to separate the brand from my personal life. I have learnt a lot about the dos and don’ts of a brand and I’s come to understand what needs to be done to put my brand out there. I manage all my social media, I do all the posts and captions, all of it is me and it’s real.

What has been the highlight of you career so far?

One event that has been memorable to me, was when I hosted a book launch in Harare. It was a launch for Imelda Tsumba, for a book called “If you’re going through fire don’t stop”, I’m saying this because all events are similar in nature, but on this particular one, there were a lot of emotions that were raised. The event became a healing and prayer session

I would like to encourage everyone to stay focused, and concentrate on the bigger goal. There are a lot of distractions and setbacks along the way, but knowing what you want to achieve and staying focused on that has been greatly helpful for me