Singer Kcee has shared the story of how he transitioned from a promising football career to becoming a successful musician.
Born Kingsley Chinweike Okonkwo, Kcee played for Nigerian league clubs Julius Berger FC and Puma FC in the 90s, even making a trip to South Africa with his team.
In an interview with Taymesan, Kcee explained that he was part of a generation of footballers expected to succeed legends like Jay Jay Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu. However, he revealed that his football career was cut short due to a lack of sponsorship.
Kcee said: “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 continued, “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.”
When he realized advancing in football was difficult, Kcee shifted his focus to music, which he had been pursuing alongside football. In 2002, he won the Star Quest talent hunt with his partner Precious John, aka Presh, forming the duo KC Presh.
He shared: “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.”
The prize money from the competition enabled him to focus on music full-time. Over the years, Kcee has enjoyed a successful music career, with popular hits like “Limpopo” and “Ojapiano.”