Norway-born singer Johanne Oleahh simply known as Oleahh is as much an artiste as she is a cultural bridge.
With a heart full of melodies, a mind bursting with ideas, and a passport that reads like a map of the world, she is carving her own path in East Africa’s music scene, one song at a time.
Raised in Northern Europe, her childhood was steeped in music. Her mother’s guitar was her lullaby, choir rehearsals were her playground, and the piano became her closest companion.
Yet, despite her musical upbringing, she waited until June this year to release her first single, “Song To Me,” a collaboration with her fiancé, Tanzanian artist Mr. Kesho of Watu Fresh fame.
What began as a spontaneous studio experiment in their apartment turned into four songs in a single week and the birth of Oleahh as an artist.
Her second release, “Queen of the Desert,” has proven to be a milestone.
Unlike anything she has done before, the track blends Swahili, Zulu, English, and even Norwegian folk tones with a rich mix of bongoflava, Arabic, and Indian influences.
“It’s a cross-cultural song that feels alive in every corner of the world,” she explains. And judging by the momentum, she’s right as the song is already buzzing across East Africa and slowly catching global ears.
Part of what makes Oleahh’s music so distinct is her lived experience. Having traveled to 50 countries and lived in South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, the U.S., and Denmark, her sound is a mosaic of cultures.
“I don’t want my music to echo just one genre,” she says. “I want it to be a meeting point where different styles collide and create something new.”
Her fans, she notes, are another source of inspiration.
“In Norway, people love art, but they don’t celebrate it loudly, but here in East Africa, support is vocal, vibrant, and powerful. It gives me courage.”
For that reason, her biggest following now comes from Tanzania and Kenya, where audiences have embraced her music as their own.
Nairobi has become her creative home, and for good reason. “Norway has a strong welfare system and equality, but it’s also a culture of sameness. As an artiste, I felt limited there. Nairobi is the opposite since it is alive and full of opportunities,” she says.
Between recording her second season of the Lalela Podcast, which she co-hosts with South African partner Kelelo Khuluse, and exploring the city’s vibrant nightlife, Oleahh has found both a career and community that push her artistry forward.
But her journey is also deeply personal. Meeting Mr. Kesho, she admits, changed her life completely.
“He opened the doors to the East African music scene for me and welcomed me into his world. We make music together, but we’re also two different artiste.It’s a partnership built on love, creativity, and shared dreams.”
Though only months into her professional career, Oleahh is already dreaming big.
Her short-term goals include touring across East Africa, performing in Rwanda, Uganda, and Congo, and one day breaking into Nigeria’s afrobeat hub in Lagos.
Festivals, too, remain close to her heart, whether the quirky mountain stages of Norway or the electric Nyege Nyege in Uganda.