Kagwe Mungai, one of Kenya’s most promising artists, started pursuing music at age 13.
It was not until 2012 when he got his big break following the release of the EP ‘It Only Gets Better.’ And it has gotten better for the Taurus Musik signed artist over the years.
He is currently riding high with the hit ‘Nyumbani’ featuring Congo’s Alicios Theluji.
Kagwe is also a music director and producer. He is also part of the hottest crew at the moment comprising of Blinky Bill, Muthoni Drummer Queen, Fena, and Mayonde.
He spoke with Standard about his campus life in the U.K and revealed little-known details about his life before stardom.
Here are the excerpts
Growing up you wanted to be a…
It was always changing from a painter to a lawyer and then at 16, I decided that music was going to be the way that I would feed my family and make the greatest impact in the world.
But currently…
Music is what I make. My job is bigger than that. My job is to be a part of the wave that changes the perceptions of the rest of the world as to what it means to be Kenyan or African.
Probably a pastor or a doctor or both.
Which college/university did you attend?
The University of Southampton, United Kingdom.
What did you major in?
I studied two degrees. The first one, which was my dream career, was Bachelor of Arts in Music and the second one was Bachelor of Arts in Management Sciences, which was what I had promised my parents to do so that they could allow me to study music.
Missing class…
Not even one. My parents sacrificed so much for me to have the opportunities I had in life. Every time my friends wanted to skive lessons, this thought would run through my mind. So I had perfect attendance.
The worst lecturer was….
The one who said, “none of you will ever live your dreams and so you should just get used to it now and forget about all of those childish things”. He was also my biggest motivator. I wanted to prove him and everyone who had doubts wrong.
Toughest unit…
I took an intermediary German class to get more credits. I wasn’t able to balance all the school and work. So I had to re-sit the exam.
Passing exams…
Most of first year was really easy so I got complacent. Second year was the biggest jump. I had to increase my capacity for learning in a very short time. I really studied hard from second year.
Your best campus experience was?
I loved being in a campus that was culturally and ethnically diverse. I got to meet people from all over the world, which opened up my mind to different ways of thinking. I also made lifelong friendships with people from almost every country around the world.
Dating experience…
To be honest, I didn’t have much time. Between university assignments, exams, working three jobs and being the president of AIESEC, I didn’t have much time for dating.
What did you hate about campus?
Nothing. It was amazing.
To make some extra cash during campus meant…
I really worked a lot. I was a dishwasher, a bartender, a DJ, a barber, a tutor and many more.
Campus friends…
It’s hard to stay in touch with everyone, but we try to catch up every now and then.
