KENNY SOL, a former member of music band Yemba Voice and Igitangaza Music Label owned by Bruce Melodie, has only had about a dozen of his songs widely available to stream until now, but the 25-year-old artiste is already proving he can reinvigorate Afrobeat and R&B for his pop audience.
His joyous 2020 smash "Ikinyafu” earned him a spot on Adekunle’s stage and a gig at the mega ‘Chop Life Concert’ headlined by renowned musicians such as Nasty C, Tekno, and Fave last month at BK Arena. Along the way, the fast rising musician is working with top artistes including the famous Peruzzi who will appear on the remix of ‘Joli’.
Wondering how the young boy rose to prominence in Rwanda’s music scene and landed on the making of some of the most trending tracks in the country such as ‘Say My Name', ‘Haso’, ‘Forget’, ‘Joli’, ‘Umurego’ among others?
In an interview with The New Times, the fast rising vocalist and lyricist recalls joining a live band with the help of his uncle, a move he credits to boosting his love for making music and introducing him to the music world.
"Growing up, I was very stubborn. I could play with a guitar until I made chords and melodies. I always had love of music even before joining Nyundo School of Arts and Music,” Kenny Sol says, adding that having been able to perform in ‘Igisope’ (live band music sessions in pubs) also attracted his attention for music.
The birth of Yemba Voice
One night after a long live session, Kenny Sol met an old friend who was doing karaoke at the time and introduced him to a music competition that was granting its winners admissions to Nyundo School of Art and Music.
The ‘Joli’ hit maker told The New Times that he registered and won as one of the best singers in the competition, winning admission to Nyundo, where he established Yemba Voice group alongside Bill Ruzima and Moise Mugabutsinze in 2016.
The young boys made acapella remixes of Sauti Sol and The Ben together with hit songs like ‘Turakundana’ and ‘Ntiruzashira’ which ensured their breakthrough in Rwanda’s music.
Unluckily, the singing group separated and Kenny Sol went solo after graduating from Nyundo School of Art and Music, where he studied vocals and music instruments.
Road to eminence and the making of ‘Ikinyafu’
After going solo, the name Kenny Sol was not big in Rwanda’s music industry until the making of 'Ikinyafu' and 'Umurego'. However, after graduating high school, the now 25-year-old singer started recording single tracks with the help of Kenny Pro, one of the best Afro-beat producers in Kigali behind the making of bangers like 'Nakumena Maso' and '1 min' by Confy.
With the help of Kenny Pro Beats, Sol shared that he managed to record and drop singles like ‘You and I’, ‘Fire’, ‘Aga Couple’, ‘Jye Nawe’ and many others that made him rise to prominence.
"Kenny pro helped me a lot in my early days of music until I met Element, the man behind most of my hits,” he says, adding that the fast rising producer also introduced him to Bruce Melodie who put him on 'Ikinyafu' which made the young boy a superstar in the country.
According to Kenny Sol, the making of this track gained him a growing fan base and a booming appreciation from music consumers than ever before in his music career. The success of this song also got Kenny Sol a contract in Igitangaza record alongside Juno Kizigenza who was among the most trending upcoming artistes at the time.
"When news broke that I had parted ways with Bruce Melodie’s label, rumours circulated that it was the end of my music career but with the help of my new team, I managed to work harder and stay at the top,” Kenny Sol who is now working with Spectacular music label told The New Times.
With the help of the Spectacular team, Sol made hit songs like ‘Joli’, ‘Forget’, ‘Say ‘My Name’ and many others that are still topping charts of Kigali.
Asked about his future plans in Rwanda’s music scene, Sol said that he is now more focused on going international and taking his sound overseas.
Since Kenny Sol started making music as a solo artiste, he won different awards including Best Video of the Year award at Isango and Muzika Awards 2022.
Given with enough support, Kenny Sol, like many other young musicians creating a new wave of music can take Rwandan music to another level.