Alice in dreamland

Like Alice in the fabled story who went down a hole only to reemerge in 'Wonderland,' new gospel darling Alice Kamande went down a dark road leaving her job, only to re-emerge in 'dreamland' last Saturday as she won the coveted Groove Award for her first single, Wewe Pekee. STEVENS MUENDO brings you the fairytale

Alice Kamande

Anxious and uncertain of what the future held for her, Alice quit her banking job and ventured into the dark.

Her debut single Wewe Pekee was recorded some few months later. Indeed at that particular point the song’s title had more than one meaning in her life as she faced an uncertain future.

One and a half years later after quitting the bank job, Alice is basking in stardom with a hit song to justify it and a dream, a dream bigger than life.

Meet the new gospel queen in town, Alice Kamande, the reigning Groove Female Artiste of the Year.

"I am still coming to terms with my new status. It has been a humble journey full of ups and downs. In life, God always gives each of us a chance. This is my season and what I do with it is what matters most," said the elegant songstress.

Seated quietly sipping cold juice punch, Alice reminisces on the trying times, now her compassionate testimony of victory after four years of tribulations.

She looks up, smiles and engineers a lively chat punctuated with breath taking revelations and laughable punch lines.

"At 14, I knew I had musical talent. At that age, I had started doing my own renditions of classic hits as well as my own compositions. I was sporty, loved playing basketball and dancing. I joined a church-dancing troupe through which we would minister in churches. I wrote poems, which I could eventually rewrite into songs. Nevertheless, I wanted to pursue an engineering career," she remarks.

"I went ahead and pursued a Degree in Engineering. With this, I was sure of landing a lucrative job. But no matter how I tried I could not get a job. I started to doubt if God cared about me. My patience had been stretched to the limits and my faith was at stake," says Alice, who re-dedicated her life to God at the age of 17.

After much waiting, the rather ambitious and intelligent singer clinched a job with a bank. But again, working on renewable contract terms complicated things. Her financial stability was on check with no assurance of what the future had in store for her. Her world was dark.

Total dedication

"I fasted and prayed until one day I collapsed. That was my last fast. I told God to show up in my life or else I would stop believing He really exists," she quips.

At that point of despair, Alice, the last born in a family of five, could spend countless hours in her closet penning down songs which she could not record as she had no financial capability.

A talented designer, she started refocusing her efforts on making her own designs, which afforded her a bit of financial stability.

"In 2009 I approached R Kay (Robert Kimanzi) who recorded my debut single Wewe Pekee," she remarks.

The single turned out to be a major success. It received positive media reviews and became a major hit in churches, making Alice one of the most sought after musicians.

Convinced that she was born to sing, Alice dedicated her life to gospel music and went ahead to record her runway hit Upendo Ule Ule. Before the end of last year, she released her debut album Wewe Pekee.

"There is no turning back. I was born to glorify God through music. I have a vision to touch Africa through the messages in my songs. In God’s time, I know this dream will come true.

New princess

The new queen of gospel music is quickly winning fans across the ages. Her music is a blend of soul and R&B and the groovy danceable beat gives it an appeal beyond the chapels.

Besides, she is social and easily likeable with an alluring beauty.

"I am social and likes everything to do with nature. That is how I get my inspiration to design. I believe that life is short and that we should live in the fullness of our potential," she adds.

Asked how she will deal with her new celebrity status, wittily, Alice breaks into a prolonged laughter and poses:

"Me! Am I a celebrity now? I look at myself as a role model through whose life other upcoming artistes can be inspired. God has put me in a place where I can touch the lives of others and that is what I look forward to achieving," she concludes.