Trio Mio Biography: Real Name, Age, Parents, Net Worth, Height, Girlfriend, Songs, Albums

Biography

Mario TJ Kasela, known professionally as Trio Mio, is a Kenyan rapper, singer, and songwriter born on October 22, 2004, in Umoja One, Nairobi.

He is of mixed heritage, with a Kenyan mother and a father of Italian and Congolese descent. The “TJ” in his name stands for “Thanks Jesus,” a name his mother, Irma Sakwa, chose after a difficult pregnancy, as a way of honouring a promise she made to God.

Trio Mio grew up in a musically inclined family. His father was a Rhumba musician, his mother a church choir singer, and his brother BigTing AP a fellow artist. It was BigTing AP who gave him the stage name Trio Mio.

Trio Mio ventured into music during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, releasing his debut single Bazenga – Vile Inafaa. His breakthrough came with the release of Cheza Kama Wewe, which went viral on TikTok and other social media platforms, earning him a massive following. The track’s remix, featuring Mejja, Exray, and Nelly the Goon, cemented his place in the Kenyan music scene. He released his debut EP, Son of the City, in early 2020 to widespread acclaim.

His accolades include the Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the Unkut Africa Awards in 2021, Male Music Influencer at the Kenya Influencers Awards in 2023, and Composer of the Year at the Danish Music Awards in 2024. He has also collaborated with both Kenyan and international artists, including Wiz Khalifa, Khaligraph Jones, Breeder LW, Ssaru, and Masauti, among others.

Widely regarded as one of the most gifted voices to emerge from Nairobi’s streets, Trio Mio continues to push the boundaries of Genge tone and Kenyan hip-hop on a global scale.

Kenyan rapper, singer, and songwriter
Trio Mio
Wiki Facts & About Data
Real Name:	Mario TJ Kasela
Stage Name:	Trio Mio
Born:	22 October 2004 (age 21 years old)
Place of Birth:	Embakasi, Kenya
Nationality:	Kenyan
Education:	Unity Primary School, Mumbuni High School
Height:	N/A
Parents:	Irma Sofia Sakwa
Siblings:	BigTing AP, Agatha Odia
Spouse:	Not Married
Girlfriend • Partner:	Ssaru (rum.), Nairlie
Children:	N/A
Occupation:	Rapper • Singer
Net Worth:	$305,500-$406,200 (USD)

Early Life & Education

Trio Mio was born on October 22, 2004, in Umoja One, a residential estate in the Embakasi constituency of Nairobi, Kenya. Nairobi, the country’s bustling capital city, is widely regarded as the heartbeat of East African music, and growing up in its streets would go on to deeply shape his sound, his lyrics, and his identity as an artist.

Born on October 22, his zodiac sign is Libra. Libras are widely associated with creativity, balance, and a natural charm, traits that many would argue are plain to see whenever he steps on a stage or drops a verse.

Trio Mio is of mixed ethnicity. His father is of Italian and Congolese descent, while his mother is Kenyan. This multicultural background has played a quiet but significant role in shaping his artistic identity, giving his music a texture and range that goes beyond what is typical of Nairobi’s streets.

He is a Christian, and his faith is woven into the very fabric of his identity, right down to his birth name. The initials “TJ” in Mario TJ Kasela stand for “Thanks Jesus,” a name his mother, Irma Sofia Sakwa, chose after a particularly difficult pregnancy. She had made a promise to God that if she delivered safely, she would honour Him in the naming of her child, and she kept that promise.

Trio Mio was raised primarily by his mother, Irma Sofia Sakwa, in Umoja One, Nairobi. A former church choir singer, Irma, brought music into the household long before her son ever touched a microphone. She has remained one of the most constant figures in his life and career, eventually stepping into the role of his personal manager after a falling out with his former management.

His father, a Rhumba musician of Italian and Congolese descent, was also an early musical influence. However, he later relocated to Tanzania, and Trio Mio was subsequently raised by his mother alone. Despite his father’s absence from the home, the musical thread his father introduced was never entirely lost.

Trio Mio is the youngest of four children. His elder brother, BigTing AP, is a fellow musician and a foundational figure in his artistic journey. It was BigTing AP who gave him his now-famous stage name, Trio Mio, after the young rapper had originally considered calling himself Lil Tjay, a name already taken by an American rapper.

BigTing AP is also signed under their family record label, Trouble Music. Trio Mio’s sister Agatha Odia works in the events industry. Together, the siblings grew up in a household where creativity and expression were never discouraged.

Trio Mio attended Unity Primary School in Embakasi West, Nairobi, where he first began writing rap lyrics around Class 7. He would perform for classmates, testing his verses on an audience long before he had a proper studio or a YouTube channel.

He later enrolled at Mumbuni High School in Machakos County, where he balanced his growing music career with the demands of secondary school education. He completed his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations in November 2022, earning his place among the rare breed of artists who refused to let a blossoming career come at the cost of their academic foundation.

Career

Trio Mio’s journey into music did not begin with a studio session or a record deal. It began the way most great careers do: quietly, privately, and well before the world had any idea who he was.

At the age of eleven, he began rapping for fun with his brother, scribbling lyrics in school notebooks and testing verses on classmates who had no idea they were watching a future star rehearse. By Class 7, he had already decided that rap was not a hobby but a vocation.

The world, however, would not find out until 2020. He began his music career during the COVID-19 pandemic with his debut single, Bazenga – Vile Inafaa, released on YouTube in May of that year. Schools were closed, the streets were quiet, and a teenage Trio Mio was in the studio, turning lockdown into a launchpad. The single introduced him to a small but curious audience. What came next announced him to the entire country.

On July 15, 2020, Trio Mio released Cheza Kama Wewe, which gained national recognition and earned a remix featuring Mejja, Exray Taniua, and Nellythegoon that went on to garner over 12 million views. The song went viral across TikTok and other social media platforms, embedding itself in Kenyan playlists and proving that a sixteen-year-old still in secondary school could hold his own against industry veterans. The remix, in particular, was a statement. Sharing a track with artists of that calibre at that age was not a small thing, and Kenya noticed.

In early 2020, Trio Mio released his debut EP, Son of the City, which included tracks such as Cheza Kama Wewe, Serereka, and Kanairo. The EP received positive reviews from critics and fans and topped the Kenyan charts for weeks. It was a remarkably assured debut for someone who had not yet sat his secondary school exams, and it established him not as a novelty act riding on youthful energy, but as a genuine lyricist with something to say.

He maintained his momentum through 2021 with a string of high-profile collaborations. Sipangwingwi, a joint effort with Exray and Ssaru, became another viral sensation, racking up millions of views and further cementing his standing as one of the most commercially potent voices in Kenyan hip-hop.

He also appeared on Si Huchanga alongside Rekkles, Willy Tuva, and Fuego, demonstrating an ability to move across different sonic territories without losing his identity. He won the Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the Unkut Africa Awards in 2021, a recognition that confirmed what his streaming numbers had already been saying.

Trio Mio has since collaborated with various local and international artists, including Shari Afrika, Tunu, Moeazy, Wiz Khalifa, Wakadinali, A Pass, Masauti, Sauti Sol, and Breeder, and his music is characterised by a versatile, dynamic style that blends rap, hip-hop, and Afrobeat. The collaboration with Wiz Khalifa was a particular milestone. In 2023, he featured on Same Block alongside Wiz Khalifa and Nigerian-British artist Moeazy, marking a notable international step in his career. For a young man from Umoja One, sharing a record with one of America’s most recognisable rap names was the kind of moment that reframes a career entirely.

In 2022, he was one of the performers at a peace concert in Nakuru, Kenya, ahead of the August 9 Kenyan General Election, sharing the stage with Mercy Masika, Evelyn Wanjiru, Nadia Mukami, Sauti Sol, Octopizzo, and DJ Joe Mfalme. His inclusion in that lineup spoke volumes about how quickly he had gone from a teenage YouTube sensation to a name significant enough to anchor a national event.

In the years that followed, he continued releasing music at a steady pace. Maintain featuring Ssaru was released in September 2024, and Zimeshika featuring Khaligraph Jones dropped in February 2025. The latter collaboration was particularly meaningful, given that Khaligraph Jones had been Trio Mio’s stated idol growing up, someone he once told interviewers he dreamed of sounding like one day. That day arrived. By 2026, he had also released DansAnt and Home, further adding to a catalogue that continues to grow in both scope and ambition.

In 2023, he was recognised as Male Music Influencer at the Kenya Influencers Awards, and his international recognition peaked in 2024 when he was nominated at the Danish Music Awards and went on to win Composer of the Year. Winning a composition award in Denmark as a young artist from Nairobi is not something that happens by accident.

It is the result of years of deliberate craft, consistent output, and a refusal to be boxed into any single sound or expectation. Trio Mio remains active in Kenya’s youth-driven hip-hop landscape with an evolving catalogue and a growing list of collaborations, making him one of the most prominent emerging artists of his generation.

Social Media

• Wikipedia: Trio Mio
• Instagram: Trio Mio (@triomio_official)
• YouTube: Trio Mio Official
• Twitter: Trio Mio (@triomioofficial) / X

Personal Life

Trio Mio was born on October 22, 2004, which makes him 21 years old. Despite having burst onto the Kenyan music scene as a teenager and building one of the most recognisable names in East African hip-hop before he was old enough to vote, he has carried his age with a quiet maturity that often catches people off guard. He did not arrive; he tried to seem older than he was; he simply arrived better than most who were.

Regarding his height, no official figure has been confirmed by Trio Mio or his team. While various online sources have attempted to estimate his stature, none of those figures can be substantiated with confidence, and so his exact height remains undisclosed.

As of the time of writing, Trio Mio has never been married. He is not known to have been engaged, and no record of any marriage exists. Given that he is still in his early twenties, that is hardly a surprise, but it is worth stating clearly for those who may have encountered inaccurate claims online.

Similarly, Trio Mio has no publicly known children. He has never announced or confirmed fathering a child, and nothing in the public record suggests otherwise.

His romantic life, however, has not been entirely without public interest. As far back as mid-2021, Trio Mio quietly hinted in an interview that there was a special someone in his life. He described her warmly, saying she made him happy, called her a vibe, and noted that she was beautiful. More notably, his mother, Irma Sakwa, confirmed the relationship at the time, saying she was happy that he had brought a girl home and that she had met her. The identity of that girlfriend was never made public.

Around that same period, social media began pairing his name with that of his frequent collaborator and fellow rapper Ssaru. The two had worked closely together on several tracks, and their evident chemistry on and off the record was enough for fans to start reading into it.

Ssaru addressed the speculation directly during a question-and-answer session with fans on Instagram, stating that Trio Mio was her brother and would always remain so. She repeated the denial across multiple interviews, wondering aloud why people kept drawing that conclusion when she had worked closely with other male artists without facing the same rumours.

Trio Mio himself also drew a line under it, making clear in an interview that his father had advised him against dating older women. The rumours eventually died down, though they resurfaced again in late 2024 before being dismissed once more.

By 2023, Trio Mio took to his Instagram account to reveal his then-current flame, sharing cosy videos in his stories with a woman whose handle was Shanara. That relationship did not appear to progress into a publicly confirmed, long-term arrangement.

Later, he was publicly linked to a woman named Nairlie, whom he introduced to the public and with whom he was spotted on dates, even publicly celebrating her birthday. The relationship with Nairlie represented the most openly documented romantic chapter of his life to date, though he has never been one to make his personal life a spectacle.

Net Worth

Trio Mio’s net worth is estimated at approximately $305,500 to $406,200. For a young man still in his early twenties who launched his career from a Nairobi estate during a global pandemic, that figure is a testament to both the commercial power of his music and the shrewdness with which he has managed his career.

His income draws from several streams. Music streaming and digital distribution have been consistent contributors, given the millions of views his catalogue has accumulated across YouTube and other platforms.

Live performances have also played a significant role, as Trio Mio has become a fixture at major concerts and events across Kenya, including high-profile appearances at national gatherings. Brand endorsements and partnerships have further added to his earnings, with his youthful image and massive following among Kenya’s young population making him an attractive name for brands looking to reach that demographic.

Beyond the numbers, Trio Mio has spoken openly about using his earnings with purpose. He has mentioned in interviews his desire to build a house for his mother, Irma Sofia Sakwa, the woman who raised him alone in Umoja One and later stepped in to manage his career. That aspiration reflects a grounded sense of priority that is not always common in young artists navigating sudden wealth and fame.

As his catalogue continues to grow and his international profile expands, particularly following his collaboration with Wiz Khalifa and his Composer of the Year win at the Danish Music Awards, his net worth is widely expected to rise considerably in the years ahead.

Discography

EP

• Son of the City (2020)

Singles

• Bazenga – Vile Inafaa (2020)
• Cheza Kama Wewe (2020)
• Cheza Kama Wewe (Remix) ft. Mejja, Exray & Nellythegoon (2020)
• Big Ting (2020)
• Serereka ft. Shari Afrika (2020)
• Kanairo ft. Jegede, Only One Delo & VDJ Jones (2020)
• Niko Busy ft. Renata (2020)
• Son of the City (2020)
• Sipangwingwi ft. Exray & Ssaru (2021)
• No Stress (2021)
• Alright ft. DJ Deklack (2021)
• Si Huchanga ft. Rekles & Willy Tuva (2021)
• Fuego (2021)
• Steppa (2021)
• Character Development (2021)
• Fine Settings (2021)
• N’mekapitia (2021)
• Ulee Msee (Freestyle) (2021)
• Vumilia (2021)
• Zoo by Zoo (2021)
• Pattern ft. Breeder LW & Ndovu Kuu (2021)
• Bandana Ya E-Sir (2021)
• Kichwa Tu ft. Ssaru & Timmy T Dat (2021)
• Dweet ft. A-Pass & Masauti (2022)
• Buda ft. Scar Mkadinali (2022)
• Sipangwingwi ft. Ssaru & Zari Dancers Africa (2022)
• Everyday ft. Savara (2023)
• Same Block ft. Wiz Khalifa & Moeazy (2023)
• Luku (Remix) ft. Brandy Maina (2023)
• Hazardous ft. Breeder LW (2023)
• Kontrola ft. Bensoul (2023)
• Maisha Ya Stunna (2023)
• Doba Imewai (2023)
• Shiro (Remix) ft. Kappy, Kushman & Gody Tennor (2023)
• Rengwa ft. Fathermoh & Zero Sufuri (2024)
• Maintain (Ivo Ivo) ft. Ssaru (2024)
• Kuwamalo (2024)
• Wadada (2024)
• To Whom It May Concern (2024)
• Naipenda (Remix) ft. Breeder LW, Uncojingjong & Maandy (2024)
• Zimeshika ft. Khaligraph Jones (2025)
• Makosa ft. SEAN MMG & YBW Smith (2025)
• Hupangi Kuolewa ft. Lenny & Mluo (2025)
• Ngati by Nature (2025)
• Vle Nalike (2025)
• Tumia Kichwa (2025)
• DansAnt (2026)
• Home (2026)
• Mi-Amor (2026)

What People Ask