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In 2017, Sam West, a comedian cum artist manager proposed to his musician girlfriend, Vivian Wambui on live television during a local show.

“It was a bit scary. At first, I had thought of proposing to her on top of a cliff so that if she would say ‘No’ I would  just throw her off the cliff. I had also thought of a boat — and do the same if she said ‘No,” he chuckles. 

Someone advised him to try proposing on live TV and that is exactly what he did. “Over 10 million people were watching. I knew she wouldn’t say ‘No’ on live TV.

I approached some of the people that were close to her and asked them if they think that the move would make her happy. They didn’t have any doubt about that. Thank God my smooth lines stole her heart,” he adds.   

The love journey

Sam, who is also a filmmaker, recounts how he first fell for Vivian after seeing her on TV. “I first saw Vivian on TV in 2015. She had just released the song, My dream with Jaguar. I fell in love with her. She seemed lonely and needy (just kidding… hehe).

I tried looking for every opportunity to meet her, but failed several times. I even booked Jaguar for a show in Nakuru hoping he would come with Vivian.

I had to do it indirectly. Surprisingly, Jaguar didn’t bring her along. It took the effort of one of my presenters, who called her for a phone interview then handed over the phone to me to just say ‘hi’.

My heart melted with joy. After that simple hello, it led to a meet-up, and that is how our friendship kicked off, “ the Hero Radio founder narrates.

Before they started dating, Vivian was open about having a daughter and Sam was also open about having a son from their previous relationships. Sam says that it has been a remarkable experience raising the children together.

“When we met, we were all open about having children and it was never a big deal for us to raise them together as we believe that children are a blessing from God. They are so full of life and remind us to enjoy life on a daily basis,” he says.

Sam and Vivian are content creators with a large following on social media. Sam discloses that it is a thrilling experience to do content creation as a couple as they effortlessly get endorsements as brand ambassadors for different corporates. 

However, he also shares how they go through various challenges as a couple, especially because both of them are in the limelight.

But the fact that they have purposed to spend the rest of their lives together makes it easy to overcome the hurdles they face on the way.  The couple loves travelling and their best moment is when they travel together, making memories on the way. 

“As a mum, wife and and artiste, Vivian has managed to balance her career and family and switches the roles with ease.

She is a strong woman. Each role can be overwhelming, but striking a balance is a skill. Sparing some time to rest has been her trick to rejuvenate,” Sam asserts. 

As a popular music artiste, it is undeniable that Vivian has received massive support from her husband who is also her manager and describes himself as her number one fan.

“Music is tough, especially for women. They deserve a lot of encouragement. I always support her in every way possible. I double up as her music manager. I love that she is a go-getter. She stays confident and courageous despite the challenges in her field,” he says. 

While growing up, Vivian was a playful child who was always at loggerheads with her grandpa due to her playful nature.

Sam says that the wittiest story that Vivian told him about her childhood days was how one time her grandpa shaved her hair because she couldn’t keep it clean! “From what she tells me, she says she was sharp and talented in music. She was also in the school choir,” he says. 

Starting small

Born and raised in Pangani, Nairobi, Vivian is the third born in a family of four. She went to Marion Group of Schools, Nairobi for her primary education, before proceeding to Statehouse Girls in Nairobi, in the year 2000 for her secondary education.

“What surprised me is that while in secondary school, she had a boyfriend in the same school I was, the prestigious Nairobi School,” Sam shares while laughing.

Vivian later pursued Marketing at the Kenya School of Professional Studies in 2008. Though she was passionate about music, her career as a recording artiste did not start immediately she left college as it was not an easy task getting a music record label to sign her.

She, therefore, had to find other means of survival as she was striving to find her purpose in life. As Sam shares, his wife had to at one point hawk household items to make an income for herself before they met. This is one of the tough moment she faced in her life. 

After a long struggle, Vivian got signed by the Main Switch Studios record label in 2013  where she began producing music.

Despite being a promising artist, she didn’t start to reap immediately. When she landed a deal with Main Switch studios, she thought she had accomplished her mission, but that was just the beginning. Though her songs received massive airplay, she didn’t make much money at first. However, through hard work and patience, things began to change.

Communication and listening

“She has over time been able to land collaborations and associations with big artistes such as Jaguar, Prezzo, Uganda’s Chameleon and the Kansoul where they produced the song Accelerator in 2019.

She did Cheza Chini featuring Naiboi and Savara of Sauti Sol two years ago and Simpo Simpo with Stevo Simple, which she released in August 2020,” Sam says.

There is no perfect relationship and as a couple, they also find themselves in a squabble, but Sam says that the distinct thing that brings them together whenever they disagree is communication and comprehension. “We believe communication without understanding each other is futile. Active listening is our goal,” he says.

Being in marriage for the sixth year now, Sam’s advice to other young couples is to focus more on being themselves. “Couples should take more time to discover their talents and passions. Their talents  will make room and open doors for them in life. It’s also from the talents that value is built, which in turn attracts wealth,” he says.