For one afternoon in Nairobi, heartbreak had a soundtrack, romance had a rhythm, and nostalgia had thousands of voices singing it back to life.
When American R&B superstar Neyo stepped onto the stage at Ulinzi Sports Complex on Mashujaa Day, he brought more than two decades of music with him.
He brought back the memories, the messy relationships, the first loves, the painful breakups and the nights out that somehow became unforgettable because there was a Ne-Yo song playing in the background.
For the thousands who gathered for One Night Only: Brunch Edition, this was no ordinary concert. It was an opportunity to revisit the soundtrack of their younger years, only this time, the songs were no longer confined to headphones, bedroom speakers or memories of long-gone relationships.
They were playing live, and Nairobi was ready to sing along.
The three-time Grammy Award winner returned to Kenya 11 years after his last appearance in the country, during the third season of Coke Studio Africa in 2015. His return brought together fans who had followed his music through changing fashions, evolving relationships and the arrival of entirely new generations of music lovers.
And Ne-Yo understood the assignment.
