Growing up, we might all have had dreams of having a brilliant future, a future away from home or maybe away from our countries of origin.
What has always driven you to want to move out of your village or Country?
Well 26 year old JS Ondara was driven by his love and passion for American Folk Music.
Six years after he emigrated to America on a Green Card, Nairobi-born JS Ondara, 26, is releasing an album that speaks to his passion for American folk music.
The Minnesota-based artiste revealed on Thursday last week that his album, Tales of America will be out on February 15.
The album includes songs like God Bless America’, a commentary on modern American immigration. It begins with the line: “Will you let me in?/Or are you at capacity?”
Growing up obsessed with passé American rock music made Ondara stand out in Nairobi.
He would skip class, spending the daily bus money he’d receive from his mother at the cyber cafe instead, researching the history of American folk music. “I dove deep and fell hard,” Ondara says.
That curiosity is what led him to seek the Green Card, and getting it sparked his creativity. “Can’t sleep,” he tweeted within weeks of moving to America. “Mind is super-charged with ideas!”
Ondara, a Bob Dylan fan, began teaching himself guitar online, playing open mics, honing his sound and a stylish look based around pristine vintage suits.
With time, he earned a major-label deal and opened up for artistes like Lindsey Buckingham and First Aid Kit.
“When I think about my childhood, and where I’m from, the chances of this are so random that sometimes I lose words to try to explain what it’s like,” he says.
We Wish Ondara all the best as he continues to Live his American Dream through music.