Elsy Wameyo On Her Victorious Debut LP 'Saint Sinner': 'There's Nothing Too Big For You To Conquer'

On Friday (26 July), Nairobi-born, Adelaide-based rapper, singer and producer Elsy Wameyo unveiled her highly anticipated debut album, Saint Sinner.

A record that tells stories of entering young adulthood, exploring her faith, navigating the world as a young black woman, finding purpose and belonging, and being caught between the cultures of her native Kenya and Australia, Wameyo delivers her songs with fearlessness and boldness you don’t hear all that often from someone who’s just releasing their debut album.

She said of the new record, “I am not a saint nor a sinner. I am a child yearning to perfect and mimic my father’s glory as I continuously fall short.

“Still, I courageously and resiliently get back up to fight. I understand that evil is within me. It is my nature, though I sit and walk beside the king. He shields me from the storm and wraps me in His arms. Refined by the fire and set apart for greatness. Lord, it is I, Saint Sinner.”

Saint Sinner is the follow-up to Wameyo’s six-track debut EP, Nilotic, released in 2022. Already in her career, the artist has taken home six South Australia Music Awards for Best Studio Engineer/Producer, Best Music Video, Best Song, Best Solo Artist, and Best Release. She was later named the triple j Unearthed Artist of the Year.

Returning to Kenya to record Saint Sinner, Wameyo linked up with her close friends, songwriters Wuod Omollo, Polycarp and Ywaya Tajiri, to help create something special and track the album’s aims to capture the growth and rejuvenation of one’s spirits.

To celebrate the release of Saint Sinner, Elsy Wameyo has given us a detailed track-by-track explanation of her triumphant new album, which you can check out below.

Elsy Wameyo – Saint Sinner Track By Track

Repercussions

Repercussions was the intro to the album before I knew Saint Sinner existed.

I had travelled to London after four months of touring in Australia. I reached a point of pure fatigue and exhaustion on all levels. I didn’t want to see or talk to anyone. For a while, I was in some form of writer’s block. It was peculiar. It wasn’t that I couldn’t write, but I wasn’t comfortable with what I was writing.

Little did I know, my body was trying to tell me something. I wrote the first verse as a journal entry before it became what you hear today. I was finally coming to terms with how I felt. I don’t care, nor do I feel anymore. My heart has become cold.

Before my travels, I had been reminded that the dark will only better reveal the light. This gave me comfort when revealing my emotions. Repercussions is a place of anger and transparency of the mind.

Quagmire

Quagmire was the last song written on the album. I sat in a studio session with Wuod Omollo weeks after we had finished the writing camp. He randomly played this track for us. I immediately fell in love with the bass. It brought a drive that reminded me of Sinner but in the light of Umva. I remember yelling at Wuod and wondering why he had never played this dope track. He explained that he produced it on the last day as we were packing up, so he kept it in the volt.

I started writing straight away. It sounded like the extension of Repercussions and gave me the space to further explain why I said what I had said. This is the first time you hear the fight. I call it The Mourning of a Saint. It pleads with the Sinner in the hopes of survival.

Sinner

“The sinner overtakes the saint”. The flesh is now in control. My guiding spirit has been shut off, and the gauge no longer works. At the forefront was the devil in control. My ego sat beside the enemy with its eyes shut.

Prior to the production of this song, I lacked discipline. I ate anything I felt like, said anything I thought, and did whatever I wanted, which made it easy to compose the track. I put myself in a place where my spirit had never been aligned. I came face to face with my true self. The sinner had now taken over, but I knew I had to face my inner demons in order to heal.

Umva

Ooohh! Umva was a vibe from the beginning. My photographer, Holyziner, is from Burundi, and he taught me the word ‘Umva’ during our writing camp. It sounded really cool, so I just started chanting it over the track.

We moshed and yelled Umva for a few minutes, and I knew exactly what I had to do. One of the verses I had written months prior for a track with Motez. It didn’t end up in the song, but I didn’t mind at all. The bars were so hard and I knew I wanted it for myself. This same spirit led the rest of the song. A very prideful and confident Elsy who knows exactly who she is.

Every bar is a caption. It’s easy to be this confident when you’re just that good.

Ler ft. Okello Max

The sample sung by Wuod translates to “Your light shines in the darkness.” I wrote this song as I called my Father’s name once more. I knew I was in a dark place, but His eyes never departed from me. No matter how far I ran or what I thought or said, He was always there. Even though I am a sinner, my light will always shine.

Every time I listen to this song, I’m always excited for Okello Max’s verse. He says,

Whenever trials and tribulations come, I call unto Him; He stretches his hand. He trusts and treasures me; may your will be done. The grace you give me forgives all my wrongs. You always fight my battles. The enemies wonder who’s my sorcerer, but it’s the light that shone in the darkness.

When Okello sent me his verse, I wept. Hearing these words sung in my mother tongue brought greater depth and urgency to this call. He offered a prayer to God on my behalf in my time of weakness. I am so humbled to have such blessings in my life. Oh, how I pray that God blesses and rewards you abundantly, Okello. Aheri siesta.

Selah

Selah is the Lord’s Prayer sung in Luo. This piece is a reflection—a time to pause and digest all that has occurred. My spoken word asks that you may also pause. I pray you stop and search deeper than the music. May this call not fall on deaf ears. Heaven is now on earth.

Slowly Slipping

I recall the day I got the news. I was pulling into Melbourne's Falls Festival with butterflies in my stomach. I never get scared before shows, so I knew something was wrong. My brother Thomas Deng called me, and as soon as I heard his first words, my heart shattered. We lost a friend. We lost a brother.

I was deeply affected for many months and still continue to ask why. I detached from my physical and toured on autopilot. I couldn’t feel anything. I didn’t want to feel anything. I wanted to run so far away from everyone and everything.

Slowly Slipping was written in Loving Memory of Kuol Tiir Kuol.

May you rest in peace. I love you tremendously.

Wonder Horns

I had locked myself away with the intention of guarding my heart. My spirit was so broken that I had to retreat. I chose me. I always gave even when I didn’t have it—my time, love, and effort. Now, I choose me—my sanity, my joy, my time. Some may feel hurt by the fact; some may be happy for me. I know I can’t give something I don’t have, so personally, I’m at peace.

The trumpets have sounded. I have released myself from the world.

Piny Lara

Wuod first played the track and explained the images he saw during the production of Piny Lara. He said, “I see you being thrown into the Colosseum against an enemy as people are crying for your blood.” The vision was so vivid, and the production was huge. The trumpets' sound immediately reminded me of battle—a fight for my life that I had to win.

 As we began the writing process, we continued to expand on the story. I see myself standing at a lake. Beneath the still waters, an image vaguely appears. My mind is intrigued and seeks to find out what it is. The fascination fed my spirit. As I proceeded closer and closer, I asked God that he may protect me. I am a fool. I knew I had to return but persevered with my fleshly desires. The reflection is I. A prisoner of my own mind. It wants to kill me.

This battle I fight is in my hands as much as it is in the enemies. The reactions and choices I make decipher how the enemy will affect me. Most importantly, “kayuda man malo lemona”, the lion of Judah intercedes on my behalf. This is ultimately the grace of God. As I wander and foolishly feed my fleshly desires, I am covered unconditionally.

Conquer ft. Ywaya Tajiri

The devil has no power. I am the daughter of a king, and I will stand tall knowing that I am royalty. Conquer is a flex and an in-your-face moment to the enemy. The lyrics say it all: There’s nothing too big for you to conquer. This is my victory song. The battle has been won, so I will shout at the top of my lungs as I give praise to the most high.

Journey

Journey is the song you play when you feel like the end isn’t nearing. It’s an encouragement that speaks for itself. The track sounds like the progression of a long journey. It’s as though you’re crossing mountains and fighting against all odds. On the other side is your victory, and you’re on the hunt to find the gold.

I always had to remind myself to appreciate the journey and be present at all times, no matter the situation. It’s in these seasons that growth occurs, and that’s one thing I was certain of during the making of this album.

Saint

Saint was a gift from Polycarp Otieno. He wrote the chorus and told the team to record the vocals in secret. I remember getting frustrated whenever Ywaya continuously disappeared during our writing sessions. Little did I know of how my life was about to change.

It was routine to gather downstairs every night and choose tracks we’d work on the following day. On this particular night, I remember everyone being eager and excited for the listening session. I was the only person who hadn’t heard the song yet. Poly and the team presented me with Prayer Warrior, who now appears as Saint.

The moment he pressed play, I began to cry. The words he wrote reflected exactly what I had felt. If it’s one chorus I’d choose to describe the context of this album, it would be this one. I felt seen. Poly understood the heaviness of my heart and how determined I was to re-align.

Most importantly, I found God again. This was my closing point for the album. Though we still had songs to write, I had reached the end of my journey, and everything finally made sense.

Prior to the camp, I was spiritually indisciplined. I intentionally ran away from God and then felt too far to return. I used to think everything was my doing. That my bitter spirit and lack of love came from my selfish ways. However, I came to realise that even in the storms, God is in control. He ordered every step I took till the moment I sat with Poly, Ywaya & Wuod to compose Saint Sinner. Nothing will ever amount to the life lessons and wisdom I gained during the camp. He knew exactly where and why he wanted to take me.

Thank You

When we sat down to write this song, I explained to Ywaya that I simply wanted to say Thank You. I yearned to offer God my praise after all he had given me. We immediately opened the word of God and began reading and reflecting on the goodness of His doings. By this point, the majority of the album had been recorded. We had been carried through so many storms and valleys. It was indeed time to go back and thank Him for what he had done.

The first verse was a time of worship. Recognising His greatness and wisdom. That even through the trials and tribulations, he remained the same from beginning to end. The second verse is scripture, Psalm 23:1-6. It gave me reassurance that I am covered by the Lord Almighty—the one who would leave the ninety-nine for me.

The recording of this song was powerful and a beautiful way to end the journey.

Truly, God was with us.

Saint Sinner by Elsy Wameyo is out now via AWAL/Impressed Recordings. You can buy/listen to the album here.