Fiston Baraka, aka Baraka the Kid, is one of the most talented and visionary artists in the music industry today. He has climbed from a Palestinian refugee camp to global celebrity. Baraka was born in 2000 in Lubumbashi, the DRC’s second-largest city. His professional journey is a true testament of incredible resolve and grit. He arrived in Australia in 2010 after his family was granted humanitarian visas, seeking a better life after spending years in a refugee camp in Zambia.
Upon arriving to Australia, Baraka did encounter a huge lack of support. He had barely any formal education, and he could hardly speak any English at all. He found an innovative way to overcome this barrier: watching cartoons on television. This approach allowed him to learn the language and the cultural expectations of his new world. As a result, he graduated from high school and went on to earn tertiary qualifications.
Baraka had spent the previous six years in the construction field before fate led him to music. His distinctive sound interweaves English-language melodic forms and thematic content with Swahili. This unique blend allows him to tell deeply immersive stories through the eyes of people living and emerging from war, crisis, and other tough circumstances. His new single, “Kumbuka,” a Swahili word meaning “to remember,” embodies this spirit, with the hope of uniting people through stories we can all relate to.
In a recent, wide-ranging interview conducted via email, Fiston explained how music has transformed his life and what it means to him today.
“I didn’t think of music as being anything more than a hobby when I first started, but now it is a passion and something I can actually make a career out of, as well.” – Fiston Baraka
Baraka’s performances have received quite a bit of national attention, including a recent appearance at the prestigious Australian Open tennis tournament. His music has attracted millions of views and streams – especially in Nigeria, South Africa, and the United States. In just a few years, he has become an incomparable bridge and megaphone for these communities. Through his platform, he sheds light on the challenges that countless young people like him experience.
The distinctive sound of Baraka’s music type would show to be an important aspect by Producer Joel Ma.
“It was not hard to kind of convince him to sing in Swahili,” – Joel Ma
Her response directly countered the resulting fears that singing in Swahili would put off Australian listeners. Instead, she pointed to the wider possible audience for Baraka’s music.
“The world is bigger than Geelong, bigger than Melbourne, bigger than Australia.” – Joel Ma
Proof of the universality of Baraka’s stories lies in his ability to resonate with listeners as far as five continents away. Each song he writes is very personal and has special meaning to him, he explained.
“So, each song has a story. It is either something that I experienced or that someone close to me has experienced.” – Fiston Baraka
That’s why his music resonates with all the people who can relate to what he’s singing about. It offers comfort in her time of need with his powerful prose.
Meanwhile, Baraka’s music career is booming. He’s one of 70 participants in the GRID Series, a free six-month program that nurtures and empowers emerging artists. The program gives a day in the studio with a producer, live performances, and other workshops on essential business skills. Ariel Blum, one of the program’s coordinators, reflected on why initiatives like GRID are so important.
“GRID is actually an acronym and stands for Grassroots in Development,” – Ariel Blum
Blum explored the unique challenges that artists like Baraka face. These artists often do not have the same access to resources that their more privileged counterparts do.
“There are a lot of challenges for people that don’t grow up with either the economic means or the social networks to access the decision makers.” – Ariel Blum
Through it all, and with these challenges, Baraka has remained most cheerful about his path.
“I am very happy to be where I am and very proud to have come so far.” – Fiston Baraka
What’s clearer is how his bareknuckle ambition and poetic gifts have made him an established force in the blenderized, topsy-turvy business of modern music. They give agency to their environment and advocate for others who come from similar backgrounds.
It’s an exciting time for Baraka, who is busy honing his artistry and connecting with broader audiences. By doing this, he remains vigilant about getting important messages out through his music. His journey started from very modest beginnings. Today, he has achieved international recognition, inspiring a multitude of aspiring artists who overcome similar adversity.
