His story is laced with sadness and joy. As he recounts it, one is left speechless. Though he has overcome the trauma with the passage of time, yet he has not totally erased the bad memories from his mind.
As a child of circumstance, top gospel musician, Alex Apoko, will forever be haunted by the memories of his ugly past. Unlike many young people today who would want to look back at their childhood and will be full of nostalgia, wishing to return to those days of innocence and pampering, Alex does not feel the same way.
The reason is not far-fetched; his childhood was that of nightmares, grief and despair...
In a recent encounter with Vanguard, in Nairobi, Kenya, the talented gospel singer recounted how he never enjoyed the love and care usually accorded most newborn babies by their parents.
According to Ringtone, as he is fondly called by his fans back in Kenya, as a newborn baby, his mother dumped him at the doorstep of a bar along one of the popular streets in Nairobi called Tom Mboya Street, which was frequently visited by his father. Unfortunately, his father did not visit the place that fateful night. But his uncle who did, recognized the baby’s wrappings and took him to his paternal grandmother who took him in and brought him up like one of her own.
Today, 26-year-old Ringtone, is not only one of the richest singers in Kenya,he is equally, one of the most-sought-after gospel artistes that dine and wine with the high and the mighty in that country.
He’s currently living a flashy lifestyle that has continued to startle those who are familiar with his story. But it has not been an easy journey for Ringtone.
“I was thrown into the street by my own mother. I was raised by my grandmother who turned her place into a small brewery so that I could get something to eat. When I was five years my dad passed away before I could meet him. But my grandmother’s passing away two years later marked the beginning of the darkest period of my life. My uncles took me in and for the first time I slept in the cold and went through a lot of hardships. Eventually, I ran away and the street was my home, ” he began.
Narrating further, Ringtone said,”One of my aunts asked me to live with her, promising she would treat me the way my grandmother had. She promised me tea and bread, food which she knew I loved and couldn’t find on the street. From one relative to another. It was misery. But God has helped me. I was taken to school by a church but now, God has given me a name. I am known across East Africa today.”
His journey to stardom
Ringtone said his journey to stardom started after he went looking for his wicked mother whom he never met before now when he was 15. Unfortunately, the unrepentant woman refused to be remorseful as she chased her abandoned son away, claiming that she wanted to save her marriage. Frustrated and hopeless, however, Ringtone travelled to Mombasa, a city on the coast of Kenya, in search of a white tourist who could ask for his hand in marriage. It is not uncommon for tourists to take in locals for marriage or intimate relationships in Kenya and some tourists countries. While he was there, he ended up a street urchin and beach bum. But luck smiled on him, after he met and narrated his mission to one of the local traders at the beach.
The man, according to him, counselled him, saying that he did not need a white lady to achieve his dream. He took him to his house, and introduced him to his church which later sent him to school. While in school, Ringtone developed a strong passion for music as he was taught how to play guitar and drums.
He narrates: ” I went looking for my mum when I was 15. She was married and when she saw me, she chased me away on the ground that I was a threat to her marriage. So. I became hopeless and frustrated. I decided to travel to the Kenyan coast to look for white tourists who come to the beach to find love. I was told they like marrying young men and I felt that I could be lucky.”
“Before I went to the street, after the death of my grandmother, I had four dreams I wanted to achieve before I die. I wanted to board a plane before I die. I also wanted to go to America and I wanted to buy a car as well as live in a house built with cement. So when my mum chased me away, I decided to go to the coast of Kenya to get married to a female tourist who could help me achieve my dreams. But when I went to the coast, I couldn’t meet a tourist. However, I saw a man who was selling at the beach, I decided to narrate my story to him so that he would link me with a white lady since most of his customers were tourists. But after narrating my story to him, he told me that I didn’t need a tourist to achieve my dreams, adding that God had a plan for me. He then took me to his house and later, his church and the church sent me to school.
“While in school, I started music because they were teaching us how to play drums and guitar. Soon, I started composing my songs. The church was not so much accepting my music because my music was contemporary. But eventually, I released my first single which I took to radio stations for airplay. Then they had started playing Kenyan gospel music in clubs. My song became popular and started playing in clubs. I also started performing at social functions. That marked the beginning of a new dawn for me.”
Then after my education, I started hawking on the streets of Mombasa. It happened that one of my songs was popular among the people. I moved to Nairobi and started living up my music. Since then, I have come a long way and now, I am stable. I have built a house which is 200 kilometer away from the vice president’s house. And God has blessed me with other things that I have never imagined,”he enthused.
I have forgiven my mother
Having been blessed with the good things of life, Ringstone said, he has since forgiven his mother despite all the things she did to him.
“Yes, I have forgiven her. In 2009, I visited some High schools/Colleges as well as universities in Kenya, where I shared my story with the students to inspire them. So, the more I share my experiences with people, the more I learn to forget about my past. I thank God, he allowed me to go through a bad upbringing, so that I can be an inspiration to others.”
According to Ringtone, he has dedicated his life to his music, becoming a source of inspiration to many young ones in Kenya. “I have visited many schools and colleges in Kenya, where I inspire the students never to give up their dreams despite their upbringings. I am a product of resilience and that is why I am where I am today. I’m using my music as a platform to tell my story in order to inspire people.”
In 2012, the talented singer was ranked #10 among the highest earning artists in Kenya. He became popular after releasing the hit single “Pamela”, which topped many local charts for weeks. After that, he recorded several other songs with the current hit being “Jubilation.” One of his songs, “Kalanta” later became Kenyan President’s favourite song.
Ringtone is currently living large and has a lot of assets to his credit. He was said to have delved into politics in 2012 but didn’t succeed and ended up purchasing a Range Rover worth more than Kshs 7 million with part of the funds raised for the campaign.
Ringtone said, he’s looking forward to collaborating with some big names in African music industry. Particularly, he expressed his love for some Nigerian music stars such as Davido, Wizkid among others. According to him, “I like Davido for his consistency. Davido came when Wizkid was already a big star, but he decided not to give up, releasing songs after songs. Till now, he’s highly celebrated in East Africa.
Controversy
Interestingly, Ringtone’s name is associated with controversy. Beyond his story, he’s one of the most controversial artistes in Kenya. But that does not take away the fact that he’s equally, a man after the hearts of many ladies in that country.
Recently, a 22-year old girl known as Angela, accused him of impregnating her. The allegation was coming months after an up and coming make-up artist, Susan Kamene, also accused him of sexually harassing her. But reacting to the allegation during this interview, Ringtone denied having anything to do with the lady in question. He, however, described Kenyan ladies as “ Attention seekers,” lamenting that the male singers in Kenya are under attack by the ladies that admire them.
According to him, the accusations are part of a scheme by detractors in the industry to tarnish his name. “This girl, whom I only met once before, happens to be one of my fans I met on Facebook and not my girlfriend. These allegations have no ground. The girl is simply seeking attention by using my name. All these malicious allegations are as a result of the big fight I am currently having in the country, where I am fighting the Music Copyright Society of Kenya. They have been misappropriating the royalties of musicians, “ he added.
“Because of ladies like Vera Cidica and Hulder who are known all over Africa, and have gone to the pages of newspapers celebrating how they had sex with the likes of Davido and Wizkid. So, other Kenyan girls now see them as role models as many of them are coming up with different ways to draw attention to themselves.”
Still single but not searching , Ringtone’s music career has indeed taken him to places beyond the shores of Kenya. His grass to grace story, remains a testament to the fact that “ no matter how dark the night is, it must break into day.”
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