Kenya to the World!
Imagine standing in front of the British version of Judge Ian (from the Tusker Project Fame shows) and dazzling him enough to earn a golden buzzer! Yup! That is what happened to 15-year-old Sarah Ikumu who auditioned for a spot in the world-famous Britain’s Got Talent search with her rendition of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”, sending her straight to the semi-finals. Well here are a few things you may not know about this beautiful girl with a golden voice.
Sarah Ikumu was born in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England, to Kenyan parents Alex Gatoto, a truck driver and pastor, and her mother Sarah, a care-giver. Their Kenyan home is in Limuru.
The starlet is in year 11 studying for her General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in the UK, where she lives with her parents. A few years ago, when her parents relocated to Kenya for about two and a half years, she attended the prestigious Riara Primary School in Imara Daima before moving back to England.
The talented teenager has been singing since she was five years old, when her father Gatoto first invited her to sing in front of the congregation at the church the family attended. She has also entered a number of local competitions, winning some, including Midlands Teen Star and Milton Keynes Young Musician of the Year. She also won the talent show held at her school, Hazel Academy, last year called “H Factor”.
A week before she became a British pop star in waiting, Sarah was in Limuru, as a guest artiste at Melissa and Robin Maina‘s wedding ceremony, her family friends, where she enthralled them with a resounding performance. She was introduced to the crowd as Sarah Njoki before proceeding to belt out a love song that burst the roof.
Judge Cowell, 57, is a renowned music producer who has propelled novice musicians to stardom, such as the group One Direction, and thus pressing a golden buzzer for Sarah could only mean that she is destined for greater heights. No one can tell what could be in store for the sensational Sarah if this trend is anything to go by.
