 Hi, how are you? I hope you're doing well. My name is Ndenya and welcome to S.P.M.B.A.S. Today I'm hanging out with a star. He's a Grammy nominee, he's a B.E.T. Award winner. What can I say? He's just among the best artists we have in East Africa. That's the one and only Eddie Kins. Ya man, this is Eddie Kenzo. And guess what? I'm here with S.P.M.B.A.S. You know what I mean? Make sure you don't touch that dial. Don't change anything. Just keep in love. Bless you. So how are you sir? I'm fine, how are you doing? I'm good. Did you just come in and have been here for a while? Ya, I came in yesterday. You came in yesterday? How do you find Kenya so far? And it's not your first time here? No, Kenya is my second home. Ya, I'm always here. I come here a lot. I'd like to know, are you here for maybe a music video? Are you working with any artist from Kenya? Or did you just come to visit? Ya, as I told you that this is my second home. I'm always here. So these are my people. Here for business meetings. And then of course some few collaborations of course with my brothers. Ya, so ya, we're good. I've seen you. I don't even work with other artists but I've seen your song with Bahati. What's your relationship like with Bahati? Bahati is my bro. Bahati is my bro. Bahati is a friend, ya know? Some have known for a long time and we connect very well. So ya, ya, ya. And we are cooking something in you also. Oh, you're here to create something with him? You could create something of course. Do you mind working with other artists from here as well? Of course, of course, of course. E.g., like which ones? Every one of my friends. Anyone that is good enough. Ya. You just give us names, everyone like who? This is a very big industry that has great musicians, ya know? Ya, but it depends on the connection and friendship, ya know? But I talk to many and we have a lot in store, ya know? Ya, alright. That's good to know. I'd love to know your relationship with football. Kus I read somewhere that you've been sponsored in school through football. And why did you choose music? Why not football now? Ya, ya, ya. I have collaborations with footballers like Wanyama. We have a lot we are going to do. And then I have another collaborations we are going to do with Olunga. We expect more. Do you still play football too? Ya, ya. I just play for leisure, just for cutting weight and keeping shape. But not professional. Not professional. And in school is it true that you were sponsored through football? Ya, ya, of course. Ah, it's true. Okay. Can you talk about the music industry in Kenya and Uganda? What can you say is the difference between music in Kenya and music in Uganda? Kus I feel like most people know. Most Ugandan artists you are among the top, right? What keeps you there? What keeps you at the top? I think working hard, ya working hard and working smart maybe. Ya, I'm just here for what I do. So anyone out there can describe how it is but for me I feel like I don't sleep or I don't spend most of the time in bed. I go out there and do the music. Ya, alright. How's your creative process like when you're cooking music? Do you like being quiet somewhere alone? Or how is your creative process like? It depends on the mood and which topic you want to talk about. But most of the times in music you need to create it when you're in a good mood because me I basically love doing happy music for happy people. So I don't like being around sad and quiet and whatever. I love being around the vibe because I'm a vibed guy. Ya, I like vibes. But you are an introvert or an extrovert? Ya, I love being around people so I don't know what is that called. That's an extrovert. That's an extrovert. Okay so when do we expect your next release? I'm working on the album. So to be out soon, just maybe a month or two, I'll be out here. Alright. Can we talk about your Grammy experience? Ya, it's a great experience. It was amazing. Grammy is the biggest music night. And when you are part of it, incredible. Can you say that you took from there? You've been nominated to so many other big things but what did you learn from the Grammys? What I learned from the Grammys is we have to step up our game as Africans to also host big nights like those. Why not? We are human beings like them so we can also do something. If not, we can be part of them. We can collaborate with them and we do things big here in Africa and I think that's what we have to look up to. The kind of discussions that are going to bring big stuff in Africa like that because it's big. It's big and it's a great experience. It's a great evening and we need to have such. Okay I'd like to know, you said like there are some of the discussions that will take us there. Which ones are those? Like maybe collaborating with them to do Grammy African stuff. I think it is in a pipeline they are talking about it We are not there yet but we are talking about it to see how it can happen. Because there you start to, you know everyone wish themselves well. So when you are there you are not there just because you are watching everything and you get inspired I am imagining this in Kenya. All of us with the root in Nairobi. Everybody is coming to Ghana just we are like ooo with our African hathas and carichas and So you know. I understand. I'd also like to know which international artist are you eyeing to collaborate with? I have a lot of friends, you know. I have a lot of friends who have collaborated with Sam already. Like I have a lot in store with many like Mogan Heritage. Many though coming on the album. You just need to mention a few. When do we expect the album? I came to mass maybe. Maybe a month and a half. Can we talk about the event you had in Uganda that had more than 20,000 people? It was called? Eddie Kenzo Festival. What was the idea behind Eddie Kenzo Festival? Ya just you know we have done what we have done and the only thing that left is to leave a legacy a good one. So I wanted to do something that we can collect money and give back to the community. Like less privileged kids. Because I came from a street. I'm a former street kid, you know. And when you God give you the blessing to become like the person I am today. So you use that same opportunity to make sure that at least you get the solution for what happened to you, not happen to anyone else. Or to the people that is happening gone right now. You make it simpler because it's hard. So I did that event to collect some little money from it and then give back to the community and then employing people people who are selling things people who are doing this people who are doing that. It's a night that employs more and more people. That was the whole idea behind it. That was very nice of you. Thank you. What can you tell all the ghetto kids because you're like the president of ghetto in Uganda. You've grown in the ghetto and brought something you've come up to who you are all the way. The ghetto in Africa. Okay, sorry. What can you tell all the ghetto kids right now? I just need to tell them to breathe in themselves. Believe in yourself. Believe that dreams come true. Dream big. Don't dream small. Don't go for less. Go for bigger. You can make it. It just needs discipline. Self-discipline, focus. Not everything you're going to achieve. But you can only focus on that and you take some sacrifices for it. And then you get it. If you think you're just going to get it just like that, no. Ya, you have to take some pain. Either pain over the great or pain of discipline. But you rather take the one for discipline because it is a strong pain but it pays off and you're going to enjoy the future. But the pain over the great, you're done. You finished. So you choose one. Do we expect any other educated people in the future? No, no, we are going to do it. We're going to be doing it every year. You know, maybe we can skip a little bit to create the demand. Maybe like a year. But it's something that we have to be doing. And my goal is to be done even when I'm gone. You know, people do it, correct the money. Do for the right cause that will be happening by then. Yes, yes. Okay, now apart from music, we've talked about music enough. Let's talk about now, Eddie Kenzo. I think I was a footballer, I should have been one. No, apart from football and music. Now what? Not football and not musician. I don't know, maybe I should have been in leadership. I'm a leader though. But I mean, maybe I should have been somewhere on national importance. You said you're a leader. Have you ever thought of joining politics? No, I cannot join politics because I'm not a politician. Okay, but you can start. You can just decide like in the next election I'm going to be paying for something. Yeah, but standing does not mean that you have joined the politics. Okay, what does it mean then to join politics? No, you can be a leader when you're not a politician. Politics is about politicizing and politicians are known. Politics is not a job. Okay, we are learning. It's a job to some people. What do you think? I think it's a job to some people because they're there to serve people. You can serve as a leader but you know here maybe in Africa we follow politicians but it should have been good when it's under leadership. Can you talk about fatherhood? How is fatherhood? How is your daughter doing? You know my kids they stay with their mum because we separate but we are cooperating well. How is fatherhood taking you? No, good good. It's a good feeling to have kids in this life. It's amazing. I'd like to know is it easy to bring up a family because you're an artist because you're out there or it depends? Yeah, family is everything. Family will always stand by your side no matter what and forever. So family anyone should have family so serious. God first, family second. So yeah, that is something we need to take so serious. You say it is separated and you have a lot of beautiful Kenyan women. Are you looking for someone? What do you think? Are you married? Personally, I'm not married. But we'll talk. Okay, that's it from me. Thank you so much for interacting with us. We cannot wait to hear your music and your album. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for working for being part of the this PMBAS. Big up on yourself and thank you for interviewing us. Thank you for putting up artists or anybody you interview out there to be known, to be heard. It's amazing. God bless you, God bless Kenya, God bless East Africa, God bless Africa, bless the world. One now.