Know your November artist: Ayrosh

If you've ever been to a Kikuyu wedding, a ruracio or a Friday night at a local mugithi spot, you know the moment. One voice, one guitar, and suddenly the whole room is holding each other by the waist and moving in a line. That's mugithi. Ayrosh grew up with it, and over the past decade he has done something few people thought to try: he has made it modern without making it lose its soul.

The soundWhat is mugithi?

The word means “train”, and you only need to see the dance once to understand why. Mugithi grew out of Kikuyu bar culture, where club owners, looking to cut costs, hired a single performer who sang and played guitar at the same time. The format stuck. Songs are sung in Gikuyu, often with a strong country music influence, and the genre has spread from bars to weddings, graduations and church events. Its stars, the late Salim Junior among them, helped keep older Kikuyu classics alive by covering them for new generations.

Ayrosh calls his take on it futuristic. He blends mugithi with R&B, soul, reggae, pop, Afro-house and even EDM, and sings mostly in Gikuyu, with English and Kiswahili mixed in. The roots are obvious. The production is not what your parents danced to.

Where it startedFrom Maragua to Nairobi

Ayrosh grew up in Maragua, in Murang’a County, and moved to Nairobi to study finance at Kenyatta University. Music pulled harder. He won a scholarship to Sauti Academy, the Nairobi music school that has also trained artists like Serro and H_art the Band, and in 2016 he put out his first single, “Wendo”.

Love songs like “Shuga Mami” followed, along with songs about village life, and in 2018 “Maheni” became the track that put his name around. That same year he picked up two nominations: Best Alternative Artist at the Sondeka Awards and Folk Artist of the Year at the Café Ngoma Awards.

The recordsMurasta, Fire and Superstar

His debut EP, Murasta (Gikuyu for “rastaman”), arrived in June 2019, launched with a concert at the Michael Joseph Centre in Nairobi. It was seven tracks of Afro-house sung in Gikuyu, English and Swahili, made with US-based Kenyan producer Waithaka Ent, and he has said it took two years to finish. He described it as a story of resilience, love, protest and chasing dreams.

In October 2020 came Fire, a four-track EP produced by DJ Mura that leaned into R&B and soul, with poet Mumbi Macharia featured. Then, in May 2024, his first full album: SUPERSTAR, nine tracks released on his own Folk Fusion label. Its title track got a remix from producer Kayrop in late 2023, ahead of the album.

The movementHe built Folk Fusion

Ayrosh isn't only an artist. He also runs Folk Fusion, a live event in Nairobi built around one idea: take the Gikuyu classics and play them with a modern, funky twist. Over the years its stage has hosted legends like Joseph Kamaru, John Ndichu and the Rift Valley Brothers alongside younger folk and fusion acts, with Kenyan food on the menu and guests encouraged to come in African wear.

Folk Fusion is a way of thinking, of being in the future but not forgetting the past.

Ayrosh, 2019

Folk Fusion is also the name on his releases. It's the label behind Fire, SUPERSTAR and his recent singles, which means the music, the brand and the events all sit under one roof he owns.

The collabsGood company

He's a sought-after feature. He's on “Mwanake Millennial” from Mutoriah's 2019 album Dive In, and this year he appears on Mutoriah's “Day One” too. He's on Wanjine's “Wũiru”, and in 2026 he features on “My Lover” with Mura, Hiribae and Ghedi. Behind the scenes he writes for others as well: he has a writing credit on 10Tonnes’ 2023 single “Njiira”.

Start hereThe Ayrosh starter pack

New to him? Start with “Maheni” for the song that broke him through. Then play the Fire EP for the R&B side, all four tracks in one sitting. Finish with SUPERSTAR, start to finish, and the Kayrop remix of the title track. By 28 November, you'll know the words.

28 NovemberSee him live

Ayrosh headlines Flavor Artist Live on Saturday 28 November 2026. Expect the bar classics, the new music, and that moment when the whole room becomes a train. Venue and tickets will be announced on our socials.