It all started when his one and only brother Simon Wainaina failed to make good use of a gift, a Piano. Well it was not because he refused to accept it, but because his interest was not at all in music, but in football. Eric Wainina took it to his gifted hands, at the age of 4, and has since spent more than two decades making sure that his brothers’ gift didn’t just lie wasted.
He was born and raised in Nairobi. He went to St. Mary’s School where he took music and piano lessons and actively participated in choir throughout elementary and high school. When the Five Alive, a Gospel a cappella group he had joined after high school disbanded in 1997, he went on to join Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA,
where he graduated with a degree in Music, with a major in Songwriting and Record Engineering.
His hit songs include Kenya Only, Nchi ya kitu Kidogo,and Daima Mkenya. The songs made him Kenya’s favorite modern musician.
Eric has received numerous awards in his career field, both local and international; some include the Jack Maher award for his exceptional performance as a songwriter from Berklee College, the MNET award for the favorite male vocalist, he was among the first Kenyans to receive the 2002 KORA award for Best East African Artist and 2007 Kisima Music awards for Best Afro-fusion & Best Song & Best Video. He is so far the only Kenyan artist to have performed live at the KORA ceremony.
He was named among the top 100 Africans by the Africa Almanac.com, with high profile names such as Nelson Mandela, and top most influential Kenyans as named by The Standard newspaper in august 2007. In 2013 Eric was designated a National UN Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) alongside singer Suzanna Owiyo.
Wainaina married his fiancé' of five years, Sheba Hirst, on 29 February 2008. They have two daughters, Seben, born in April 2006 and Neo born in October 2009.He is one of the most celebrated Kenyan musicians. His style and choice of music will literally live you craving for more.