Music has been a life-long journey for Joy Gitau since the age of 7. She’s innately curious, find inspiration in many places, and understands a lot more about the world than most.

Born and raised in Kenya, radio was a very big part of her culture and passion that inspired her musical growth.

Gitau has memories of her family radio playing in the kitchen back home in Kenya. Simple, yet it struck something deep in her.

There was only one radio station, called Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC). KBC would play R&B music from around the world, exposing Gitau to different styles of sound.

Her favorite artist were Whitney Houston, an American diva, and Miriam Makeba, the queen of African soul music.

Ultimately, radio gave Gitau a vision of the outside world, a inspiring her to dream big in a small village in East Africa.

By 9-years-old, Gitau joined the school choir and started to play instruments, such as the recorder and the trumpet. She remembers growing up in a third-world country, noting that where music is not considered a career path. Instead, it’s only a hobby and purely entertainment-driven.

It’s worth noting that Kenya is a country where 42 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, according to official statistics from UNICEF. Access to basic services like education and clean water, things that residents of the United States take for granted, are a luxury.

Growing up in Kenya, where opportunities are scarce, helped Gitau to develop her skills brought challenges and inspiration to come to America.

Gitau shared her personal story and message with GCC’s Mountain Cloud Radio, an official club on campus dedicated to creating podcasts on an assorted array of people, issues, initiatives, and more.

Learn more by visiting Mountain Cloud Radio’s page at http://bit.ly/MountainCloudRadio, or by scanning the QR code with your phone on the left hand to take you right to the podcast.