Childhood
Wainaina was born in Nairobi, Kenya, to George Gitau Wainaina and Margaret Wangari Wainaina. He has one brother, Simon Wainaina. His love for music started at a young age. He got a piano at age 4, originally intended for his brother Simon who instead took keen interest in football. Wainaina thus grudgingly took piano lessons. He actively participated in the choir throughout elementary and high school at St. Mary's School, Nairobi, save for a short stint in basketball. Whilst growing up, Wainaina was influenced musically by international artists such as Papa Wemba, Youssou N'Dour, Lokua Kanza and Paul Simon.
Read more about this topic: Eric Wainaina (musician)
Famous quotes containing the word childhood:
“Indeed, my mother’s beautiful face still shone with youthfulness that night when she so softly held my hands and sought to stop my tears; but, precisely, it seemed to me that this should not have happened, her anger would have saddened me less than this new sweetness that my childhood had never known; it seemed to me that, with a hidden and impious hand, I had just traced the first wrinkle and made appear the first grey hair in her soul.”
—Marcel Proust (1871–1922)
“Among the most valuable but least appreciated experiences parenthood can provide are the opportunities it offers for exploring, reliving, and resolving one’s own childhood problems in the context of one’s relation to one’s child.”
—Bruno Bettelheim (20th century)