Otile Brown explains why he performed at Brian Chira’s burial despite never meeting him before
By Steve Ireri, September 23, 2026Kenyan musician Otile Brown has finally explained why he performed at Brian Chira’s burial despite revealing that he had never personally known or met the late TikToker before his death.
Speaking during an interview on Tony Mwirigi’s podcast on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, Otile said he only came to know about Chira after the content creator died and his song One Call, which Chira was known to love, began attracting renewed attention.
The musician said that although there had been claims that Chira had helped promote his song, he did not personally know the late content creator while he was alive.
“When I performed at the burial of Brian Chira, people should know that I never knew him before that. And there are claims that he helped promote my song. And I came to only know him after he died and my song, which he loved, started going viral,” Otile said.
The singer explained that his connection to Chira came through his nephew, whom he described as the person who regularly keeps him updated on happenings and news from the streets.
“I actually knew him from my nephew. He is the one who gives me street news, my nephew, yes. He is the one who updates me on all street news, all of which may bypass me,” he added.
Nice performance
Otile’s revelation offers a different perspective on his appearance at Chira’s burial, where he delivered an emotional performance of One Call as mourners joined him in singing the song.
The musician had become closely associated with Chira’s final send-off after agreeing to perform the song when he learnt how much the late TikToker loved it.
Otile had previously acknowledged the attention Chira’s death brought to One Call, saying the song had experienced a notable increase in attention as fans remembered the late content creator.
At the time, Otile publicly expressed his desire to perform the song at the burial and asked those attending to learn its lyrics so that they could sing along in Chira’s memory.
He subsequently kept his promise, taking the stage during the burial ceremony on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, and delivering a heartfelt rendition of One Call as mourners sang along.
Chira had been buried at his grandmother’s ancestral home in Gitei village, Gathanje, Githunguri, Kiambu County, in a ceremony that attracted a huge crowd of content creators, friends and fans.
The burial drew thousands of members of the online community, with supporters who identified themselves as the “Chira Clan” raising millions of shillings to support the funeral arrangements and Chira’s grandmother.
Chira’s love for One Call had already been widely discussed before the burial, with the song becoming a major part of tributes to him following his death.
The song, released by Otile Brown in 2023 featuring Tanzanian artiste Ruby, was identified as one of Chira’s favourite tracks, with Otile later recognising the attention the late TikToker had helped draw to it.