Prosper Nkomezi is today one of the country’s best gospel artistes.
Performing in Rwanda as well as across the borders, in Burundi and Kenya, his songs are starting to have a wider audience.
In January and May this year, Nkomezi has been on evangelical tours in Burundi and Kenya, where he has sung in concerts.
The worshipper described the evangelical trips in the two countries as historic ones, adding that he has made a number of connections during them.
In Burundi, Nkomezi did three concerts: at the Jesus Grace church, Life Center church and at the Shemeza Worship Temple, led by Apollinaire Habonimana, a gospel legend in Burundi.
While in Kenya the concert was held at the Calvary Covenant center.
In an interview with The Gospel Time Rwanda, Nkomezi shared five key lessons that Rwandan Gospel artistes should follow and practice.
Solidarity and teamwork
Nkomezi had only four songs on his first visit to Burundi. By the time he returned in January this year, he already had more than two dozen songs, which are very popular in this country.
“While I was on stage, the audience would sing all my songs with me. They expressed a love for Rwandan Gospel songs. They also use them during church services,” he pointed out.
Nkomezi described Burundians as great worshipers, excellent singers and lovers of gospel music. He noted that they follow Rwandan music, adding that the country’s Gospel artistes are more united and supportive (teamwork.)
Prayer
“I received requests from fans to perform live in Kenya. I took the time praying for it and also waiting for God’s right time. I had never been there before, but I noticed they liked my songs,” he said.
Foreign languages
“I’m surprised how many people like our music, even though they don’t understand Kinyarwanda,” he said.
Nkomezi said that it is time for the country’s gospel artistes to embrace foreign language to amplify the message in their songs.
“A lot of people love our music. Since a person loves our work, even if they do not understand the meaning, it would be perfect if we also sang in another language they can understand. We need to reach many people across borders,” he added.
Networking
“It’s kind of lucky to perform in other countries. I met with Apollinaire for the first time and we had a very productive discussion.”
While the artiste did not reveal information about the future collaborations with Burundian artistes, he promised to share good news in the near future.
“We will announce it in due course,” he said.
Nkomezi added that he has met a variety of people in gospel music ministry and believes they can achieve more together.
“These trips made important connections with musicians,” he said.
Exploring opportunities
“Our music is impacting the lives of many people around the world,” Nkomezi said.
“The impact of our songs should encourage us to work even harder to see how we can start singing in foreign languages to reach more people,” he added.
Our gospel music is progressing well in terms of production and quality. I believe if we keep praying, our music will develop even better.
“We appreciate the journey so far. Decades ago, our music was lagging behind, but today we see new coming artistes who are well-talented,” he said.
Nkomezi began his solo music career in 2017 and has released two albums to date. He is also working on his latest third album, which he says will feature some collaborations.
