PATRICK IYAKAREMYE, is one of the upcoming gospel artistes still forging his way into the local music industry. The 28 year-old says that he began singing at a young age, where he would mimic hip hop songs and later Gospel music in 2014 when he converted to Christianity. Having spent more than five years in church choir, Iyakaremye decided to embark on a solo music career, and has now released two songs, with “many others” coming out in the near future. The artiste says that he intends to use his talent to benefit many. “People do music for different reasons; having fun, business, and others. Personally, I do Gospel music to help people draw closer to God and love Him more. That is my ultimate motive in this career,” he said. As with every other artiste, Iyakaremye states that he has encountered several challenges, most of them related to not getting promotion and sponsorship. “At times you meet people who are interested in helping you through music promotion and funding some of the expenses that go hand in hand with music, but all of a sudden, they change their mind when they realise that you do Gospel music, because they believe that there is no money in the genre,” he explained. According to Iyakaremye, Gospel music should not be primarily perceived as an incoming generating style, but instead as a ministry that intends to change the lives of those who listen to it. He shares the view with Emmanuel Sibomana a.k.a Vox, who recently underscored that these days many people decide to do gospel music with other motives, including making money, which he finds ridiculous. Commenting on his recent song dubbed “Hosanna”, Iyakaremye said that the track seeks to proclaim the goodness of God and how he is able to change reckless sinners into His vessels. The 28 year-old explained that it so far it hasn’t been difficult to combine studies with music, thanks to discipline and mature guardians that he says helped him to know how to do everything at the right time. He is currently pursuing mass media and journalism at Mount Kenya University, Kigali Campus.
