Biography

With an album of over 18 songs to his name, Rwandan musician Prosper Nkomezi is arguably one of the most influential gospel artistes in Rwanda.

The singer says that his love and passion for music was demonstrated earlier on in life, but he overlooked the signs.

Born in 1995, Nkomezi as a young boy fell in love with music. Most times, he was spotted breaking jerry cans with the intention to turn them into music speakers.

“I was drawn to music, but I hadn’t realised so. In my early years, I broke jerry cans and inserted a radio in it so I could create a bass speaker,” he tells Weekender.

Raised in a Born-again Christian family, Nkomezi always liked to play the piano, although this often caused arguments with his parents.

“Playing the piano often made my mother angry, because while others were at the dining table eating, I was playing the piano,” Nkomezi recalls.

Because of his passion for piano, it only took him four months to learn how to play the instrument.

The skills then earned him the opportunity to join several choirs, both as a worshipper and as a piano player. He was first a member of ADEPR choir before switching to Zion Temple Celebration Center.

In 2014, Nkomezi took advanced piano lessons from his uncle, who urged him to start a solo career.

“I had an uncle who was a classical piano player. He advised me to start my solo career. He saw me singing, and appreciated, that is how I launched my music career,” he says.

His first song Sinzahwema was released in 2017, and it went viral beyond what he ever imagined. The experience motivated the 25-year-old’s 18-song album, and is working on another that he expects to finish by May 2021.

“I sometimes visited places, and realised people were singing my song without knowing that it was mine. A friend once told me that my song was played in their church service, just a day after it was released,” he recalls.