Ali Kiba is one of the most popular artists in Tanzania since he is not only a skilled singer and a songwriter but also a very good football player.
He is very well known, especially in his home country, and he is one of those people that can succeed in many areas of life.
Ali Kiba is often referred to as King Kiba. This is a nickname that flatters him a lot and he is always asked about it. There is not too much backstory, though, it’s just because of his skills.
Ali has made a career also in the field of producing and directing. He said that he would like to be an actor someday, but now he has to focus on other things, including his music career and his personal life.
Bongo Flava is the name of the Hip Hop genre which originates from Tanzania and came to fame in the 90s. It has a special vibe to it and it cannot be mixed with the original hip hop, says Ali Kiba.
Ali Kiba sings in Swahili and is proud of using his native language in most of his songs. He has some hits in English too, but most of his hits are related to his home and most of his fans follow him because he still does content in Swahili.
He is popular in Europe too and recently toured all over Europe and the USA. This was an interesting time for him because he has never tried something like that before and it was a very fulfilling experience.
Early years
He was born as Ali Saleh Kiba on November 29, 1986, in the town named Iringa, located in the country of Tanzania. He talks a lot about his hometown and says that he would love to be connected to it a bit better, but he really can’t.
He was the first child of Tombwe Njere and Saleh Omsri and has three younger siblings named Abdu, Zabibu, and Abubakar. Their names are all very connected with their origin, and he is proud of it. He never thought about changing his name for the sake of popularity.
He was a pupil at Upanga Primary School in the town called Dar es Salaam which is the most populous city in the same country. It used to be the capital of Tanzania.
He loved dancing and singing from the early years and was a part of school shows. In 2004 he graduated from high school and decided not to continue a career in college.
He saw that this was not the right path for him and that life prepared many good things for him on the other side of the specter. This didn’t bother him too much as he was already pretty excited, to begin with.
It was the same year he decided to start working on his songs to collect enough singles to complete the first album he wanted to release.
This was a big decision for him since he was also a very talented football player which was discovered in his teenage years. He said that he always wanted to be like Ronaldo and that his favorite people in the world were some of the word’s biggest players of that time.
He received an offer in 2005 by one of the most notable Ugandan soccer teams to join their club. He was very happy to start pursuing his career in this direction and he wanted to start playing as soon as possible, but something deep down told him that this was not the right path for him.
He turned down the offer because he was more passionate about music than soccer.
He often says that he wished he would of have time to make career both in music and in sports. Maybe later, he says.
Career development
Ali Kiba has signed a contract with Airtel Africa. This soon launched him in the world of famous singers and he got a very good chance to work with them.
In 2007 he has released his debut album titled “Cinderella”, through a record label named “Rockstar 4000”. This was a really fun project to be working around, he says. He was especially excited about all of these people he met through the process.
This album brought Ali Kiba huge success because it became a bestseller in most if countries in East Africa. He was very happy that he was finally getting the recognition he needed.
It was especially popular in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. One of the hits on the album was also called Cinderella.
It came to No.1 on almost all East African charts. This helped him earn his first big money and he was soon amongst some of his country’s best singers.
In 2008 he has released his 2nd album by the name “Ali K 4 Real” and a hit sing “Usiniseme”.
It went through in the charts and proved to everyone that Ali Kiba wasn’t a one time hit singer but that he was a very talented and hardworking singer and a songwriter.
In 2009 he was again asked to enter a Tanzanian soccer team but he again rejected it.
However, he did make a slight turn of career when he entered the world of modeling. But it still gave him enough time to make his music.
In 2010 he worked with a star R Kelly on the One 8 Project on the single called “Hands Across the World”.
He has received a BEFFTA Award in the category of Best International Artist. He has also been given the award for the Sexiest Male Artist at the same ceremony.
In 2011 he had released “Dushelele”. It was his first project that he helped direct and produce.
He received the Kilimanjaro Tanzania Music Award for Best Song.
He made a collaboration with a popular artist Lady Jaydee named “Single Boy/Single Girl” which became a huge hit. He appreciates her very much and considers her to be a true artist.
In 2012, other than producing music he began writing scripts for movies and he entered acting lessons.
His collaboration with Lady Jaydee was nominated for the Kill Music Awards in 2013 in the category of Best Collaborating songs.
In 2015 he has won six Tanzania Music Awards after releasing his 3rd album after a 3 year-long period of hiatus. He is always happy when he gets an award, but he is especially happy when the award comes from a time and space where he is: his country.
The album was extremely successful and he had been awarded other awards too, like the award for the most downloaded song in 2015.
Personal life
Ali Kiba is in marriage with a beautiful woman named Amina Khalef whom he married on April 19, 2018.
He loves her very much and he says that she is his rock and the person that helps him stay the same through fame and years that have gone by.
The ceremony was held un Ummullkthum Mosque and it was a traditional Islamic ceremony reserved for men after he received his bride.
They made a huge celebration afterward with all the important people from politics and entertainment attending it.
The next day they flew to Italy where they have enjoyed their honeymoon.
Ali Kiba was in a lot of relationships before from which he gained five children. One of them unfortunately died.
He has two daughters Amiya and Chamy with a former girlfriend and a son Prince Sameer.
The only child with his wife Amina was born in February 2019 and it is a son.
He waited 40 days before showing his face on his Instagram account because he follows the rule of Islam.
Quick summary
Full name: Ali Saleh Kiba
Date of birth: November 29, 1986
Birthplace: Iringa, Tanzania, Africa
Age: 33
Profession: singer, dancer
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