By Jonathan Mbiriyamveka
Kae Chaps said he pursued music because he wanted to prove to his former classmates that he could sing.
In an interview with Power FM’s Chamvary on Centre Stage, the Gehena singer said his first recording Type Yangu went unnoticed but was enough to give him the edge to continue with music.
“So after finishing Form 4 there were guys known that they could sing others were known for acting. So for me I wanted to prove that I could actually sing.
“My first song was Type Yangu in 2014 and in 2015 I was more of a freestyle hip-hop artists and that made me write more songs because everytime you had to come up with new stuff.
“In 2016, I then decided to become mellow singing love songs just to prove I could sing,” he explained.
Kae Chaps whose real name is Kudakwashe Chapepa also explained his stage name.
“I used to call myself KD but at high school they called me Chaps. So one day when I went to studio my producer asked me ‘what’s your name?” I then said I’m Kae Chaps and the name has stuck since then,” he said.
He then dropped his first EP in November 2020 titled Pretty Short Life.
The EP didn’t blow up as expected and he then returned with a full length album titled Vanga, inspired by his near death experience when he got mugged and stabbed in the stomach. He survived.
Referring to his vocal range and clarity, Kae Chaps said he used to be a huge fan of Zim dancehall.
“I used to like Winky D, Sniper, Quonfuzed and Platinum Prince among others. When Winky D beefed with Sniper I sided with Sniper.
“In terms of melody and vocal range I also learnt from my sisters who used to love R&B. You know I would wake up to the T Shirt by Shontel and so I said so if I want to make a lave song this is what I should be doing,” he said.
2021 saw the release of his breakaway song Juzi which became an instant hit.
Juzi captures the full emotions of divorce and carries one through the post-divorce trauma and there is no doubt this is the reason why is has become an instant hit. It is about real life.
And, for Kae Chaps, the song is about his real life story. He broke up with his longtime girlfriend and she left a pink jersey at his house; each time he sees the jersey, it reminds him of the past.
The song went viral!
“It was already on 11 000 hits and I was shocked. I am happy how big artists are even endorsing the song.
The song is emotional and it speaks my heart. I was depressed. I had other heart-breaks before but this one was very strong as it hit me hard. I later accepted fate and started 2021 on a new note,” Kae Chaps once said abotu his heartbreak.
About Author
