As Kenya’s music industry grows and evolves, so has its music artists. Over time, the industry has seen the rise of talented musicians who have morphed from obscurity to the spotlight. Size 8 is one of those exceptionally talented artists who were not only able to make it to the top but also stay there. She continues to make giant strides in every way she can as her music career has been far from monolithic, transitioning from secular music to gospel. To thousands of her fans, it does not matter whether Size 8 sings gospel or secular as they are always on the watch, anticipating her latest songs.
Size 8 Began Singing From Church
Born and bred in the Kenyan capital city of Nairobi, Linet Masiro (aka Size 8) attended Dr. Livingstone Primary school where she excelled, topping her class in the KPCE. For her high school education, she was awarded a scholarship to attend State House Girls. She and her five older siblings, who are children of members of the clergy, practice Christianity to this day. And this would be the starting point of her journey into a musical profession. As she puts it, church fanned her flair for music into flame.
Size 8 often sang in church, school, and other family events. After graduating from high school, her musical genius remained with her and would later blossom into a full-fledged career.
She Rose to Fame in 2008
After several years of nurturing her unique talent, Size 8 finally caught the eyes of popular Kenyan producer and co-founder of Calif record, Clemo, who would take her under his wings after the Tusker Project Fame in 2008. Shortly afterward, the singer became a household name.
Size 8 released “Shamba boy’, “Silali”, and “Vindong”. These songs took the Kenyan music space by storm. She swept big names in the music industry with her songs and held the limelight for nearly a decade.
Judging from her impressive records as a student, Size 8’s excellence of delivery and creativity in her music comes as no surprise at all. No other female singer in the Kenyan music space stood at par with her for too long. In the years that followed, she kept on releasing new hits; wowing and increasing her fan base in Kenya and beyond its shores. These songs would eventually earn her deals worth millions of dollars as well as command respect and recognition in several well-attended concerts.
Sadly, this fame and success did not last for as long as many fans expected. Shortly after the countryside Safaricom Concert, Size 8 suddenly went low key. Her low profile life would throw millions of her fans into suspense and confusion. After an extensive period of silence from the superstar, it was confirmed that she had switched to gospel music in April 2013. This decision took her fans by surprise! What followed was heated criticism. However, there were a few who accepted her new decision with a warm heart.
Despite the cold response she received for making such a sharp transition, Size 8 still stuck to her decision. She repeatedly says that she wants to win souls for Christ and not just for mere entertainment as she initially did. According to the singer, her family members could not have been happier when they heard of her decision, especially her mother whom she said had been praying incessantly for her conversion.
Her Career Still Blossomed as a Gospel Artist
Shortly after her conversion and transition from secular to gospel music, Size 8 released “Mateke” in 2013 with other songs such as “Moto”, “Yuko na wewe”, “Jemedari”, “Afadhali Yesu”, and the latest, “Pale Pale”.
“Mateke” was her first gospel song and in it, she portrayed her agony while in the secular world. The song captures the emptiness and void she battled with as a secular artist. Size 8’s golden touch shone through in the song that hit the one-million-viewer mark on YouTube. It also aired on various media outlets, including those that mainly show secular music.
In spite of the transition, the singer’s songs were outstanding and as such, she bagged a few awards and several nominations. Size 8 won the Groove Award for video of the year in 2014. Her “Mateke” song had been nominated for song of the year. Two years down the line, “Pale Pale” was nominated for Song of the Year. In 2019, “Ni Tembee Na Wewe” got nominated. In all, Size 8 got four nominations and one win.
So far, it is clear that the gospel singer did not approach her career with any less vigor than she did in the secular music world. And she has someone to thank for that.
Size 8 is Married to DJ Mo
Size 8 and DJ Mo (Samuel Muraya) met through a mutual friend. DJ Mo has been a friend and a mentor to her ever since. He played a huge role in her conversion and transition to gospel music. Although details of their relationship remained elusive to the public, when they were spotted in each other’s company multiple times, rumors about their relationship began to spread like wildfire.
The rumors turned out to be true when, to the amazement of their fans, DJ Mo and Size 8 tied the knot in 2013. This union was the promise of a new beginning for Size 8; having a new faith and a fresh trajectory at life, as a wife, a mother, and a successful gospel artist.
The couple’s union is blessed with two kids; the first is a daughter they christened Ladasha Belle Muraya (b. November 19, 2015). The second is a son, Muraya Junior (b. 2019). Although she encountered serious complications while giving birth to her kids, as of this writing, Size 8 is healthier than ever.
Her Career Never Slowed Down After Getting Married
One would think that marriage would press the brake pedal on Size 8’s career. This is far from the truth as her career only blossomed. In November 2020, she released a music video for the song “Vice Versa” with fellow gospel artist, Rose Muhando.
Before that, she and her husband premiered Dine with Murayas on NTV. The show centers around marriage and other family issues. Within a short while, it became one of the most viewed TV shows on Kenyan TV on Mondays.
Asides from running the marriage show on TV, Size 8 is also a brand ambassador for Softcare. Prior to this, she worked at Kubamba Radio for a year before resigning on health grounds. Also, she is the first Kenyan celebrity to work with Kleesoft as a brand ambassador. It would be fair to say that her transition to gospel music brought good tidings to her life.
