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Passion moves me forward: Ikey

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LOCAL multilingual gospel musician Isaac “Ikey” Nyoni says his passion for gospel music has continued to grow since his early days when he used to sing in the school choir.

BY WINSTONE ANTONIO

LOCAL multilingual gospel musician Isaac “Ikey” Nyoni says his passion for gospel music has continued to grow since his early days when he used to sing in the school choir.

Ikey’s music journey began at primary school in Siakobvu, Binga.

“My gift in music was sharpened when I moved to Binga, where I attended my secondary education at Binga High School. At this school, that is when I started playing such music instruments as marimba,” he said.

“The various music competitions and tours I participated in as part of the school choir gave me the initial exposure to platforms for performance such that I started to be serious with my musical career.”

After completing high school, Isaac moved to Harare in 2007 and stayed with his uncle, Josias Mudenda, who was by then the National Evangelism director in the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe.

“When I came to Harare, I began playing the keyboard for the praise and worship teams that would perform at various evangelistic events and crusades. As a result, I ended up leading the various praise teams as my leadership in music started to show up,” he said.

“Between 2015 and 2016, my professional career in music took another step forward when I began setting up an ensemble of youths, with who I started the Praise House Band that would lead praise and worship sessions at various Methodist Church Societies, among them Mzilikazi, Makokoba and Thorn-groove in Bulawayo, where my uncle and family had relocated to.”

In 2016, Ikey recorded his first album, Greater Is He Who Is In Me, at Elino Studios in Binga, with the help of Elias Sibanda. The album became a hit, with the song Kumalundu (To the Mountains) dominating the airwaves.

He decide to take his career further in 2018 by sharpening his music skills and enrolled at the Zimbabwe College of Music in Harare, where he later received his national certificate in music. “When I look back to my long journey, I see both God’s great works and love, which I can say has taken me from place-to-place and at the same time exposing me to various people and language groups. This then equipped me with the ability to speak and sing in various languages,” he said.

“I believe the Lord has prepared me and called me to use this gift as an asset to spread His word to many people who speak these languages, which has the impact of reaching out to many people in different parts of the country.” In December 2018, Ikey returned to the studio to record his second album titled Mabasa Makuru (Great Works), which was produced by the renowned Macdonald “Mac Dee” Chidavaenzi.

One of the songs from the album, Luyando Lwa Leza (The Love of God/God’s Love), topped the Classic 263 FM’s Gospel Charts show, and stayed at number one for a record 10 consecutive weeks. This hit-song, Luyando Lwa Leza, became the first of his songs to be recorded on video, courtesy of the supportive Ariketo Mackenzie.

“Through my compositions, I sing to both praise God and also encourage people to focus their attention on the Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, in appreciating the love of God (Luyando Lwa Leza),” he said.

Born on March 28, 1988 in Hwange, Ikey is the first born son in a family of five.

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