Multiple award
winning artiste, Kenny Saint Brown, popularly known as KSB's interview were she tells how she has wriggled out from the many setbacks that held her
down in the past and launched her to a great comeback. Enjoy reading…
It has been quiet at your end; we don’t get to see you doing your stuff, what has been happening to you?
Yes, as a singer, it seems as if I have been quiet but I have not really
been quiet. I have been quiet getting involved in other things; I have
been involved in politics for three years now. I ran for the house of
assembly, Lagos State two years ago and consult now for the ministry of
arts and culture doing jobs with them. I was involved in Lagos at 50,
which was massive; my hands were part of the hands on deck. Also, I am a
minister of the gospel preaching, teaching and speaking now because of
my book. So, I have been doing bigger stuff and also working in the
studio at the same time to release new songs. I have been busier than
ever; I am also involved as an executive in my local assembly. I am also
a single parent with two teenagers that go to school from home, which
is 75 percent commitment some women resigned to do. So, I combine all of
these.
You said you are an ordained minister of the gospel, what made you venture into the ministry?
I didn’t venture into ministry; ministry is my life. It is what I have
always done; it’s actually my career for almost 22 years. The fact that I
was just ordained doesn’t mean I have not been doing it. All my working
life, after I got my masters in 1995 from the University of Benin, God
pulled me from there and said we should go into partnership. Though I
didn’t know what nature of partnership but I just trusted God that it
will be good. From working as a servant in the house of the Lord, I have
been able to birth a lot of things. First, we birth Kennis Music
communication with my brother, and then we created the entertainment
industry and gave it a total revolution. Thereafter, I faced my career
as a gospel artiste, which blossomed from ministry. Then I started my
business KSB International consulting and went into bigger things as the
Lord led me to politics. There was also a time I went into occasional
acting but it wasn’t my career and now I have a food business. I am
still a proud mother of two and now an author; ministry has helped me to
birth so many things where I can say “I can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me”. I think that has been the drive for me.
How did you get into singing?
Singing was actually a reward for going into ministry; my calling is
praying. The partnership I was called into is intercession, which is my
life and teaching came out of that. The compensation I get from God for a
job well done is that He gives me songs. When He gave me music when he
thought I had finished the assignment given and needed to return back to
Nigeria. I was in the UK as an intercessor and part of the team for the
biggest branch of the Redeemed church in London, (Jesus House) and also
festival of life, a program they call Holy Ghost congress in Nigeria. I
started singing the music, which has never stopped. When I get
inspiration, I write them down and can come when I am praying, out of
pain, joy, appreciation of the personality of God himself. It could come
to motivate, inspire me when I am going through pain or setbacks to
encourage me and to encourage others as well. And then we get into the
studio to record.
How would you describe your years in the industry? Has it been smooth sailing?
No, it can’t be smooth sailing. There have been setbacks and hiccups but
it has been for me the period of creating a revolution because I came
into the music industry when there was no industry. There was absolutely
nothing and because I understand how God works- He always takes me to
virgin grounds. I have enjoyed and experienced God in that form such
that I get bored and unfulfilled doing the same thing everybody is
doing. So, I called my wonderful brother, Keke Ogungbe to ask if we
could do music and he encouraged me into it if I know I could. With his
trust, I formed the company, recruited the staff in order to market me.
Keke was to be involved in the promotions while I took on the production
and marketing; all I did was to trust God, which He did, to teach me
what to do every step of the way. It is the same Kennis Music of 20
years that has blossomed and given birth to so many talents; it has
encouraged a lot of people to start something in the industry. We
developed it and succeeded at it; I love being part of the fresh start
and success story and when it was time to move to new things, I did.
People may see me as inconsistent but I have done music, I am doing
music but there is more to me than music. I still lead worship and more
of a worshipper now than ever; in fact my new album is pure worship.
People are expecting it to be hip-hop but God says He wants something
new from me and it’s worship. I found out that I am a plantation and I
need to explore myself in God.
So, how have you been able to juggle your career, motherhood, ministry and politics all in one breath?
It is the sheer grace of God. My favourite bible scripture in
2Corithians 9:8 says ‘God is able to make all grace abound towards you;
that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to
every good work.’ In that verse, there are five ALLs and that is what is
actually manifesting in my life. I can do anything I put my mind to.
The grace is in abundance and I forbid wasting the grace that God has
released for me. I don’t have any ambition, I just let the grace of God
work through me and give me a hint on what to do and I run with it. That
is why I have been able to do so many things and people are amazed that
I am still singing when I release a new song. Some hate me for it and
some are amazed for it and I give God the glory for all of them.
You are a minister of the gospel in charge of the teens in
New Anointing Revival Assembly, why are you handing the youth arm and
not the music ministry your niche?
It’s entirely my pastor’s idea and started because we didn’t have the
teens’ arm of the church. He felt I should be able to handle the teens
because I am someone young people look up to because of the songs I do. I
did that for almost seven years and because we didn’t have a youth
church, we called it ‘youth church’. The youth church is like a first
and breakfast service, not just for young people and I am the minister
in charge of the breakfast because the message is tailored for the
youths. God has helped me from being a teens’ pastor for seven years to
grow these teenagers who have grown into young adults. It was the idea
of my spiritual mentor, leader, father and it is the work that he tells
you to do that you do.
How did you come about your relationship with Apostle Anselm Madubuko?
God sent me there. When I came back from the UK, I went to the Redeemed
bible school, had my PGD in theology and was ordained by Pastor Adeboye.
While I served in the Redeemed church as an assistant pastor, God said
He was moving me to Revival Assembly; I refused and continued where I
left off and later joined ‘This Present House’ for a year because I felt
it was the same background as Redeemed. Meanwhile, the apostle had met
me and invited me to church, which I turned down; not until God whipped
me did I cry to him a year later. I forgot that we are the body of
Christ but in different location for the service He had given us, which I
didn’t understand at that time. It has been 16 years since I joined the
ministry.
You were in the eye of the public in the early years of your marriage with so many controversy, how did you handle it?
It is not controversy and I don’t want to talk about marriage. There was
nothing to handle because I lost it; I cried, at least I am flesh and
blood. I suffered what everybody else suffered- the setbacks, heartbreak
and loss; and like you said not controversies but so many blackmails.
It was more of blackmails and blackmail is never palatable to any saint
not even to angels. He did the damage he had to do but I found myself in
the damage. I found my strength, might, purpose and grace to absorb
everything absorbable- the pain, the guilt on the other person’s behalf,
the acceptance of how it was and the humility to ask God for a
turnaround. God picked me up and turned my captivity around. It was a
captivity stage, which now I see that it was necessary for me to get
into purpose and align myself to the design of God because I didn’t see
any design in what I was doing. I learnt patience in marriage; patience
finished its work in me because it’s been over 10 years. All I have seen
coming out of me is the work of patience and what patience has enabled
me to acquire, venture and the product that I am turned out to become- a
good product at that. The virtues, values, honour, celebration, money,
acceptance, recommendation- all of that, patience taught me. The grace
was available, mercy was at work but patience did most of the work for
me. When I was very broke, things were difficult and life was hard, I
had the support of my wonderful family; my sister, Mrs Moji Dopkesi,
amazing and tough though, threw me out there to go get my strength and
voice. Likewise my brother, Keke, who will always urge me to let my
voice be heard if the church wasn’t bringing invitation. Then I had
Apostle Anselm Madubuko and his late wife, Pastor Connie (amazing
parents) holding me by both hands and giving me their feet to walk.
What do you think is people’s misconception about you?
It is okay. The number one misconception about me is that I can’t even
sing and then you came into my apartment and saw awards. There was a
time I lost the voice to sing; life took it. Everything and anything
that could add value to me was taken including the name; I was stripped
of honour. I recently changed to Kenny Saint Best but because of my book
and children; they are officially Brown. Some still aren’t sure if I am
called and some don’t think I am born-again. They wonder how someone
who is born-again could be doing songs with secular artistes, forgetting
I was buying into their audience. These are the core people I have been
sent to and not the church and I even married one of them. They even
say ‘how can she marry him? How can she sing?’ They just want to remove
my background from my personality. So people just think I wear anything,
others think ‘she is Keke sister!’ The value that should be appreciated
in me as a star was taken away and I was looked at as one who has no
value, ideology, intelligence, intellectual property- it is just
damaging. And when you stand in front of them to sing and feel like you
don’t have it because of what somebody said. Guess what? I ride over
them and look out for that face that appreciates you; connect to that
person and shoot. It is even dangerous when you are accepted by all. All
I have is boldness and confidence and the sense of ‘I can get it done’
and that pushes me.
During those turbulent times you had, the pains and
loneliness, do you think there was anything you could have done
differently as at that time?
Absolutely nothing because imagine that right now I am not divorced;
people don’t know that. These are issues that one just rushes to the
court and the marriage is dissolved; all I needed to do was what I did. I
sought God as though my new life was in Him and needed to hand it over
to Him, which was what I did. I became addicted to seeking God’s face
and live my life in the presence of God. So, there was absolutely
nothing I could have done different and thank God He chased me to a
praying church; I have no regrets. It doesn’t mean that I am not getting
married again but that wasn’t my priority; I just wanted my life,
value, honour and glory as I also sang in my song. That is why I can
talk about it in my book ‘From setbacks to comeback’.
Let’s talk about your new book, what is the motivation for writing the book?
It’s my experience, pain and setbacks; then the fact that I had a great
comeback with multiple influences and functions. I had a setback as a
singer but a comeback as a singer, preacher, speaker, politician, better
person, businesswoman, entrepreneur, consultant and counselor.
How has the reception towards the book been?
It has been amazing and people are asking for it everywhere I go. They
love it; from the very first page to the last, it is full of
inspiration.
