Nigerian music star Kingsley Okonkwo, better known as Kcee, recently opened up about a surprising twist in his journey to fame — revealing that music wasn’t always the dream. Long before he dropped chart-topping hits like “Limpopo,” Kcee was chasing goals on the football field, not music awards!
In a heartfelt chat with podcaster Temisan Emmanuel, Kcee shared that he once laced up his boots for top Nigerian clubs, including Julius Berger FC and Puma FC, back in the 1990s. His talent even earned him a spot in South Africa, where he was seen as part of the next big wave of players poised to follow in the footsteps of Nigerian football legends like Austin Jay Jay Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu — both Super Eagles icons and Olympic gold medalists.
However, life had other plans. Kcee’s football dreams hit a brick wall when lack of sponsorship crushed his chances of going pro. Faced with the reality of financial setbacks, he turned to music — a move that flipped his life forever. That backup plan became his golden ticket, making him a household name in the Nigerian music scene. Sometimes, rejection really is redirection!
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.
“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 added, “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.”