Singer Kingsley Chinweike Okonkwo, popularly known as Kcee, has shared new insights into his journey from aspiring professional footballer to becoming one of Nigeria’s most recognisable music stars.
In an interview with media personality Taymesan, Kcee recounted how he began his career on the football field, playing for Nigerian league sides Julius Berger FC and Puma FC in the 1990s. He revealed that football was his first passion and even took him abroad before music ever did.
“The first time I travelled out of this country was football. I was playing for Julius Berger. I played for Puma. The first time I went to South Africa was soccer. That was before music,” he said.
Reflecting on that phase of his life, Kcee explained that he was part of a generation expected to take over from iconic Nigerian footballers.
“I was a very young boy. This was in the middle 90s. I was a teenager then. Jay Jay [Okocha] and Kanu were a set before me. After them, we would have been like the people to take over Super Eagles,” he stated.
However, his football dreams eventually took a backseat due to a lack of sponsorship and opportunities to progress to the next level. As those doors began to close, Kcee turned to music, his second love.
“When I found out that it was difficult to take my football career to the next level, I picked up my next love, music. I was running both of them side by side. In the course of that, I won Star Quest talent hunt and I started making money. So, I had to drop one for one. That was why I quit football,” he explained.
Kcee, alongside his then musical partner Precious John (aka Presh), emerged as the winner of the Star Quest talent hunt in 2002 under the stage name KC Presh. The win, which came with prize money and industry recognition, gave him the foundation he needed to pursue music full-time.
Since then, Kcee has carved out a successful music career spanning over two decades, producing chart-topping hits such as “Limpopo” and more recently, “Ojapiano.”
