Who is KKC?
We can all agree that the Nigerian music industry is one of the few things that makes us a proud nation, the other things being our humor and of course our world-acclaimed Nigerian Jollof. The past five years have been an exciting and liberating time for Nigerian artists, both upcoming and mainstream alike. With acts like Wizkid, BurnaBoy, C-kay, and Tems -to mention a few- topping the charts, featuring renowned international acts and winning awards that most Nigerian artists couldn’t dream of ten years ago.
With these big wins,a younger generation of artists have emerged who are emboldened by the journeys of their predecessors and have fearlessly gone ahead to find their unique sounds and forge a place for themselves in the music world. Artists like Ayra Starr, Joeboy, Rema, and the likes have shown us in the short while since their arrival into the music scene, that there is no one way to make widespread impact through music. These artists do not conform easily to the mainstream ideas of what music should sound like. They have all honed their uniqueness, producing a diversity of sounds that mirror the vast pool of talents that Nigeria has always had.
Among such artists is Oyinkansola Chinyere – Asabe Onwuchekwa aka Keenah-Kay Chekwas (KKC). The twenty-three-year-old multi-talented singer, songwriter, poet, and guitarist brings to mind the early years of Asa when she arrived fresh-faced into the Nigerian music scene in 2007, bearing her hit singles “Jailer” and “Fire on the Mountain” in her deft hands. KKC might just be well on her way to the big leagues too. Although not as fierce as that of Asa, Oyinkan’s sound is as soothing as it is sweet, her unique blend of vocals makes for a great auditory experience and never fails to send listeners to a land of soft landings where love is abundant and hope is no myth. In a country like Nigeria where chaos seems to punctuate every waking breath, Onyinkan’s music can be likened to a bottle of cold water on a sweltering, busy day in Lagos.
The Lagos-born independent artist has been tecognized as the best female artiste and best student female artiste in the Nigerian Meritorious Awards, West African Citizens Awards and, Faculty of Science, University of Lagos Awards while she was still a student there. In the last five years, KKC has released six singles the latest of which was released in February of 2020, titled “Your Youth” the song explores real issues that plague the minds of young creatives like herself still trying to find their place in life as well as a home for their art. Onyinkan is passionate about more than just her music, she is the Founder of the charity organization, KKC, and The Community, a non-profit NGO aimed at rendering help to Nigerian communities in need. She is also a Data scientist, sports enthusiast, and caterer.
KKC’s music might not yet have gotten Nigeria’s attention but with a passion like hers that permeates into every facet of her life and a voice that both induces and satisfies nostalgia, she is indeed off to a great start. Her music is available for listening on most streaming platforms and some of her other works like covers and music video sessions can be watched on her YouTube channel, Instagram and Twitter accounts all here
Talents emerge every day in the Nigerian music scene but only a few of them possess a certain je ne sais quoi that makes a real star, KKC is one of the few from which great things should be expected.