KCee’s journey from Ajegunle to global stardom is a product of his dedication to the highlife sound, collaboration with artists from diverse cultural backgrounds, and merging traditional sounds with contemporary beats. Following the release of his latest album, Mr. Versatile, KCee discusses with Guardian Music his creative process and muses, working with diverse cultural voices, finding fulfilment after 25 active years of being eclectic with his approach, and his mission to export the highlife sound to the global stage.
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After Kcee’s Ojapiano became a national hit last year, it marked his comeback following 2021’s Cultural Praise series with the Okwesili Eze Group. His intriguing blend of the Igbo flute, Oja, and South African Amapiano gave the song its unique appeal.

The song, which he remixed with the American pop-rock band One Republic earlier this year, bagged millions of song plays and social media views through viral dance challenges. It has so far been his most successful attempt at promoting the highlife genre to a global audience since the late 2010s.
READ ALSO: Ten years after Limpopo KCee returns with Ojapiano 
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After 25 years in the Nigerian music scene, Kcee continues reinventing his discography with even deeper cuts of his diverse artistry. His latest album, Mr. Versatile, features 20 songs, including a new remix of Ojapiano with Tanzanian star Diamond Platnumz and Nigerian rapper Odumodublvck. The album also includes global collaborations: a duet with Indian diva Karina Kapoor and a feel-good feature with Congolese artist Didi B.
Raised in Lagos’ bustling Ajegunle suburbs, Kcee (real name Kingsley Okonkwo) has evolved from his days as one part of the KceePresh duo to his major solo breakout in 2012 with Limpopo, and his recent comebacks. Promoting highlife remains personal to Kcee, the main act of Five Star Records, owned by his brother E-money. “Nothing was by accident. Everything I put out is intentional. I’m already thinking of another instrument to experiment with,” he tells Guardian Music, as he settles in for a chat.

Congratulations on this album. How does it feel for you?

I’m very happy about the project. Having been in the business for 25 years, I think I’ve gone through a whole lot of processes as an artist. I’ve gone through downtimes and ups, and I try to put all of that together in this project. My ability to do different genres over the years gives me the joy to present something. It explains my journey so far, and that’s why I called it Mr. Versatile. I have been posting throwbacks on my social media to refresh people’s memory of where I’m coming from. So I’m excited about this one.
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Would you say it’s the most experimental you’ve been with your craft since you started?

Not at all. I think I’ve done a lot. I’ve taken more risks than this one. But this album is exciting. It is just me putting all the experiences—including the other risks I’ve taken—together into a body of work.

Tell us about the global features you put on this album.

So, Feel Am with Didi B was recorded after I did Ojapiano. After Ojapiano dropped, a lot of people were trying to jump on the sound. I happened to be chatting with Didi B, and he said we needed to do something together because he loves the sound.

So, I got into the studio with my producer, and I called the Oja boys again—although this is different from the guy who played on Ojapiano. The chorus of this song talks about how people feel about the Oja sound. So, we created it and I sent the beat to Didi B. He was excited, and it didn’t take him more than one week to send his verse. And he was on tour then. He was even on my neck to release it.
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What about the song with the Indian singer, Kapoor?

Some people hit me up from India, after I dropped Ojapiano, saying they love my song. I bumped into Karika Kapoor—one of their big artists—and she told me she would like us to do a remix of Ojapiano. We did it and even shot the video, but we are yet to release that. And when we jumped on a second song—Moto—which still fuses the Oja, she insisted that she really wants this sound. I asked her why, and she said, ‘You don’t know how big this song is in India. We need to explode it more.’

READ ALSO: Kcee… A Tale of The Oja 

I bought the idea. And, because other artists have also reached out to tell me they love what I am doing, I knew I needed to pay attention to that market. Then, my distributor told me that I had a new fan base from the Asian part of the world—not just India—that came from Ojapiano. So, we did that song, and I’m excited about it. Mixing the Indian flavour with Afrobeats is nice. So, the song is very special to me.
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Tell us about your most memorable session from making this album.

One session I won’t forget would be the one for the song, Obalende. The process of creating that record was so divine. I was in the studio with Skiibii and Teni. I don’t know what happened, but my producer left the microphone on by mistake. We were laughing and talking about a lot of things. They were all telling me how my energy has been contagious and how they’ve been feeling it, despite the fact I’m an OG.

We didn’t know my producer was recording all that. So, if you listen to Obalende, you will hear Skiibii in the intro laughing, “Why love again? Ah, after all, what you have done?” We were talking about something different, though. So, we took that part and made it the intro of the song, and we also added Teni’s ad-libs. The process of recording was just bit by bit. It wasn’t intentional. The next day, that song became very special to me, and that’s the first song I’m promoting on the album. I already shot the music video. I love it because of how original it is. It has a highlife feel and pop, and the whole playing around makes it so special.
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Tell us about your mission with Highlife.

In 2017, I realised that this highlife sound is very sweet and very original. I felt that we could export this sound the way Makossa and Rumba are. We didn’t have a lot of ambassadors projecting the indigenous highlife genre. I decided to jump on it and pay attention to it. And I promise you, that’s the best decision I’ve made.

In 2018, I did my music project called Eastern Conference. It was a whole highlife album. Although we didn’t get a lot of attention because people didn’t know me with that kind of sound, I never gave up. I kept on doing it to date. And, today, as far as the highlife sound is concerned, I think I’m one of the champions projecting it. I just came back from the US. I know how everybody wants to feel that part of me, that energy, that high life. People are always surprised how I got here, but it has always been there. I just brought it out from 2017 and 2018, and the more I did it, the better I got.

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I’m always very focused and thinking of how to export our sound internationally. That was what gave birth to Ojapiano.  It wasn’t like somebody did it for me. It was intentional. I’ve been working on it. In fact, as I speak to you, there is something that came into my head yesterday. I just got a whole new idea on how to export another sound from one of our other local instruments. I’m going to try it after this album. That’s how cr!zy I can be. That’s how I create my music. I don’t just go into the studio. Sometimes, I think deeply [about] how to merge one odd thing with the other to make something nice. That’s what’ll make you unique and stand out at every point.
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After 25 years in the industry, what does fulfilment look like to you?

Well, this morning, when I was dressing up and preparing to go out for my rehearsals, my wife looked at me and said, ‘I’m so proud of you.’ So, I asked, why? She replied, ‘I don’t see anybody that works as hard as you.’
I’ve been travelling for the past two days. I came in last night and today I’m going to rehearse. I work so hard that people don’t see it, or they don’t know, because I don’t allow it. But the joy about what my wife said today is that I’m the definition of a hard worker and I always get my results. It might take time, but I always get results.

So, I’m so fulfilled and excited, because even if I quit music today I think I’ve done more than enough. 25 years wasn’t that rosy. There were a lot of ups and downs, but the ability to still be confident and believe in what I do is something not everybody can do. So, I respect myself, I salute myself, and I love myself for not bowing or backing down at any point. My joy is too much, and what I’m doing with this album is celebrating myself. I can’t thank God enough for giving me the ability to stand here and still be doing this vibrantly.

So, lastly, what is your vision as Kcee?

My vision is clear, and what I want to do is what I’ve started doing, which is exporting the highlife sound to a more global stage. Why? Well, there is a whole lot in that sound that the world needs to understand. There’s more I need to do. So, I’m focused on getting rewards and what I’m doing to export this ighlife sound right now.
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