By Tofarati Ige
Popular gospel artiste and entertainment entrepreneur, Kenny Saint Best (KSB), contested the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries to represent Ikeja 01 Constituency at the Lagos State House of Assembly.
Even though she didn’t get the ticket, she has been visible on the party’s campaign train, both at the state and national level.
The songstress has returned to the studio, and in this chat with qed.ng, she speaks on her forthcoming collaboration with Monique, Tiwa Savage and MI, as well as her political career.
Excerpts…
Many of your fans think you’ve abandoned music for politics. Can you speak on that?
That’s not true. For the past few months, I’ve actually been very busy on the campaign train of my party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), but the truth is that I can do politics and music together. I’ve expended the necessary energy on politics when it was needed; right now, I’m just gliding with the train as a political artiste to push the objectives of the party to the people. Now, the energy is not as intense as before so it can accommodate my own career.
What are you up to now as far as music is concerned?
I’m back in the studio and I’m releasing a new single before the Easter celebrations. It’s titled, ‘Ire’ and I’ll be collaborating with Monique. She’s the first female artiste I’ll be collaborating with after Essence in 15 years. Co-incidentally, Monique is also my protégé, as she and Essence used to be my back-up singers way back in the days. After that, I’ll also be working with Tiwa Savage and it’ll be dropping for summer.
What influenced the decision to work with Monique and Tiwa Savage?
Monique is more like my successor on the gospel scene. I watch her, and I hear and see myself in her. She’s holding it down in all churches right now. I’ve left the church crowd for so long because I’ve been doing street gospel, and its a good thing to go back to my church base now. It’s more like we’re leveraging on each other. She may not get all the awards that you think everybody should get out there, but she’s the one holding down the church scene now; we cannot take it away from her. I respect her energy, and it will be pride on my part not to work with her, that’s why I’m humbling myself to do that. You know they say, the hallmark of a successful person is for that person to have a successor. I’m happy that Monique is my successor on the gospel scene, and since I haven’t retired, it’s a good thing working with her. Guess what, she used to back-up on this same song for me in those days, so when I told her it was the same song I wanted us to work on, she was excited.
As for Tiwa Savage, she’s holding the street down, while I hold the church down, so it’ll be beautiful for us to come together. It’s a gospel song that tilts towards the club and the streets. Meanwhile, I also have a song with MI which will be released soon too.
You once mentioned that you do street gospel, are you going back to church gospel now?
No, it’s a fusion of the both. As an evangelist, I have been sent to the streets. If you look at the streets right now, the energy is never increasing…it’s not demanding. I’m trying to create a balance between the church and the street crowd. There was a demand on me to take the gospel to the street and I’m happy that I have fulfilled that, and someone like Nikki Laoye is also following that path. A lot of my old fans see me and they’re like why don’t I sing again, but I tell them that I sing for the young ones now. They always beg me that I’ve left them for so long, and that I should come back. So basically, I’m yielding to the call of my old fans. To be sincere, I also miss church ministrations.
Any plans to mentor other up and coming young female gospel artistes?
Yes, I intend to, but because I had a pull towards politics, some of my plans were put in abeyance. However, by the time I stabilise well, and because I want to work with government, I’ll do a lot to develop younger artistes, especially the females. Lagos State APC gubernatorial candidate, Akinwunmi Ambode, is already making entertainment one of his priorities. Apart from that, I also intend to have a concert later in the year called ‘KSB and her Sisters’ which would be an all-female affair. There are so many things I have up my sleeves for female acts.
Are you going to be working with any political aspirant to implement the transformation agenda you rolled out during your campaign?
Oh yes, I’m already doing that. For instance, I’m part of the campaign team of the candidate for my constituency, Folajimi Lai Mohammed. I’m also part of Ambode’s campaign train, as well as at the national level. My priorities are the youths, socio-economic development, entertainment development and women agenda, among others. All of them have already been bought into by the APC which is the platform I’m standing on.
Last word to your fans?
I’ll like to appeal to them to shun violence in this election period. If we’re all agitating for change, wouldn’t we want to enjoy the change when it eventually comes? If anybody gives you money to go and cause chaos, please collect their money and keep your head. I also urge everybody to vote, because your vote is your power. Exercise it.
