Rising Stars: Meet Lynn Muraya of New York City

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lynn Muraya.

Hi Lynn, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’m Lynn Muraya, born and raised in Kenya and I believe that influences how I see and navigate the world. I’ve always been a keen observer. I pay attention to spaces, energy, and how people conduct themselves, even the smallest details. Even now living in the United States, that foundation means everything to me. It manifests in how I create, how I express myself, and choose to occupy space. I don’t separate my work from where I come from, I represent it. In an honest and intentional way, as it is a significant part of who I am as a creative storyteller.

For a long time, I thought my career path would be in architecture or interior design. I’ve always been interested in structure and how things are built and experienced. At the same time, I was constantly active in performing throughout my childhood, both in primary and secondary school. I enjoyed it! Acting, dancing, and performing on stage — it all felt natural to me. I just never thought it was something I could seriously pursue as a career, especially coming from Kenya, where that path isn’t generally supported or regarded as stable.

When I moved to the United States to study at SCAD, I was undecided. But there was a powerful draw towards performing arts that I couldn’t resist. When I leaned into it, everything clicked — and I haven’t looked back. That’s when it transitioned from something I enjoyed to something I consistently chose. I began to understand performance on a deeper level, not just by doing it, but by studying it, immersing myself in it, and discovering its truth. Simultaneously, I leaned more into my interest in dance, fashion, and visual storytelling. I don’t separate them. They’re all part of the same language to me.

During that time, I also created an Afrobeats dance club, which allowed me to share my passion for dancing with others. It was of special significance because it brought together people from all backgrounds and cultures, and it reminded me that movement speaks a language that transcends words.

Now that I’ve graduated and moved to New York City, I’m at that in-between stage where things are becoming real in an entirely different manner. It’s not always comfortable, but it’s essential. I’m learning to trust myself more, and move with greater confidence in who I am — especially as an international student figuring it out in real time.

Right now, I’m focusing on creating work that feels authentic to me. Honest, expressive, and rooted in my heritage, all while developing into the person I am becoming.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road. Being here on my own has been a life-changing experience, but it has also brought about several obstacles that I have had to overcome on my own. There were times when I had to rely on myself in ways I hadn’t beforehand, and learn to trust my own judgement.

As an international student, you are also navigating systems that are not always designed with you in mind. It’s been a lot to take on at once, from sorting out my living situation when things unexpectedly shifted to dealing with the transition into OPT and what it means to sustain myself artistically on a limited work timeline.

At the same time, I’ve had to be diligent in continuing to practice my art, even when things seemed uncertain. That’s certainly been one of the most difficult challenges: feeling connected to what I love while coping with the practicalities of establishing a life here.

But, despite all of these challenges, I’ve grown immensely. I’ve developed greater resilience, self-awareness, and confidence in my abilities to navigate difficult situations. And as I reflect on my journey, I am genuinely proud of everything I’ve overcome – it is what motivates me to keep going and to continue showing up fully for myself and my work.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a creative with a foundation in acting, movement, and visual expression. I graduated with a BFA in Acting, summa cum laude, which helped me enhance my discipline, structure, and language for what I already felt instinctively. Performing in plays such as African Mean Girls at SCAD allowed me to fully immerse myself in character development while staying connected to stories that are culturally significant to me.

Beyond that, I create content as an extension of who I am. Dance, fashion, and presence. Movement is how I express myself. Being strongly inspired by Afrobeats and Amapiano, those rhythms truly feel like home in my body. I don’t force it or do it in a premeditated manner; it’s just how I move. I don’t separate any of them. It all blends into one another. It’s something that I carry.

I founded an Afrobeats dance club to allow that energy to exist outside of me, and the experience was meaningful not only for the dance, but also for the people it brought together as it’s where I met my friends turned family. Movement brings people from many backgrounds and stories together in the same space. That stayed with me.

What distinguishes me is that I do not seek to simplify myself in order to be understood. I let it all exist. I create with depth, incorporating my entire self into everything — my culture, training, and perspective. I’m not attempting to fit in one lane. I’m layering, creating something that feels whole.

I’ve also developed a keen awareness of what’s going on internally and externally. I pay attention to how vulnerability manifests in my body, how my voice responds when I need to be heard, and how my identity influences the work I do. I’m not just interested in how something looks; I also care about how it feels. That sensitivity is something I cherish because it enables my art to connect on a deeper level.

What I am proud of is that I have remained true to myself while figuring things out in real time. I’ve built, adjusted, pushed through uncertainty, and found new ways to keep creating. At the heart of it all, I see myself not just as someone who participates in many creative environments, but someone who actively writes my own story. I’m creating something that reflects not only what I do, but also how I perceive, feel, and exist.

At the end of the day, I’m deeply connected to my roots – mimi ni Mkenya kabisa. That is what I symbolise in all I do. I’m also a big sister, I appreciate connection, and I move through the world with a sense of responsibility to myself and those around me. And whether I’m on stage, creating, or on the golf course, I show up fully as myself.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
People would be surprised to find how much of me resides in silence. A lot of what people see is expressive, but the majority of it begins in silence in observation, in feeling, in moments that do not need to be spoken aloud.

I also play golf, which was introduced to me by my father when I was growing up in Kenya. It became something my siblings and I all shared, and it’s one of the ways I stay connected with them. It’s really different from performing in that it slows you down and requires you to be present, and I believe I need that balance.

I’m also drawn to language and communication. I can speak English and Swahili fluently, and I studied Chinese for a few years. I believe I’ve always been fascinated in how expression changes, how the same feeling may exist in multiple shapes, sounds, and rhythms. Not everything needs to be translated to be understood.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynn._.c.orrine
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@LynnMuraya
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@_murrmurrr

Image Credits
Derrick Burton
William Brown
Michael Bankston
Heather Bloomfield