LIZA KAMIKAZI ON PACHAGAZINE

Pachagazine: What’s your real name and brand name?

Liza Kamikazi: My real name is Umuhire Solange and my stage name is Liza Kamikazi.

Pachagazine: How would you describe Liza Kamikazi?

Liza Kamikazi: Liza Kamikazi is a Rwandese woman, a wife, mother of three kids, artist, worshiper, song writer, actress and Tv producer who is deep in love with Jesus.

Pachagazine: What/who first got you into music industry?

Liza Kamikazi: What got me into music industry was my passion for music and arts.

Pachagazine: How long have you been into music?

Liza Kamikazi: I have been in the music industry for 15 years.

Pachagazine:  What else do you do apart from being a singer? 

Liza Kamikazi: In the past I have also done a lot of acting and theater training but currently I do media evangelism through My Tv show Heart to Heart and doing interviews in other media houses in Rwanda. And as a mother I raise my children as one of my first priorities.

Pachagazine:  Which type of music do you create?

Gospel music since 2016. Some of it is praise and worship but some of it is pure evangelical music.

Pachagazine:  Do you work alone or you have a team?

On the music side I do not really have a team, I work with different producers depending on the style of the song and who is available! The only music teammate I have is my husband who is also musician even though he does not work on my music but he advises me and I taste my ideas with him and his support makes a huge difference.

Pachagazine:  Which artist would you most likely want to work with?

Liza Kamikazi: That is a tricky one! I admire a lot of artists and it will be tough to single one out but any gospel artist who genuinely loves Jesus and is serious in serving Him I would collaborate with them if the song spoke to my heart.

Pachagazine:  Who do you look up to in the industry?

There are so many amazing artists out there and to be honest I don’t just have one person I look up to but I learn a lot from many of them through their music, their testimonies, their performances, their lifestyles, their lyrics.

Pachagazine:  What are some of the challenges artist face especially when new to the industry?

I would say the most common is lack of financial means to showcase their arts. The other challenge is also finding your identity as a person and as an artist.

Pachagazine:  What would you be doing right now, if it wasn’t for your music career?

I would be preaching the gospel in any other way the Lord would have provided.

Pachagazine:  Where have been on stage? What is your favourite and least favourite venues? Do you have any upcoming events?

I have been blessed to perform on several stages both locally and internationally. My favorite venue is our new venue in Kigali called Kigali Arena. I have not performed there yet but I attend concert there and it is a fantastic venue. My least favorite venue for some reasons is a place called Petit stade which is mini stadium.

Pachagazine: If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?

Liza Kamikazi: If I could change anything about the industry it would be to ban  music that promote immorality, violence and drug and alcohol abuse cause they have a very negative impact in communities.

Pachagazine: How would you Describe your sound?

Liza Kamikazi: My sound is most of the time a sound of joy and gladness to the Lord.

Pachagazine:  Do you collaborate with others? What is that process?

Liza Kamikazi: Since I crossed over to Gospel music I have not yet done many Collaborations yet but the 4 I have worked on I have always approached my colleagues with a chorus or a draft of the song that I already composed and we completed the song together in the studio with a producer.

Pachagazine: Please discuss how you interact with and respond to fans

Liza Kamikazi: I do not like the word fan so I relate with them as friends and brothers and sisters in Christ. So mostly on my social media that is where I interact with them or when I am live in media houses. It also happens that you meet people who like your music in supermarkets or on the streets so it is always a joy to know your music blesses someone. So I do my best to set aside time to answer their messages. Unless they only say Hi on IG or Facebook those one tend to be so many and leading to nowhere.

Pachagazine: What are the essential qualities that make a good musician?

Liza Kamikazi: Being creative, being unique, teachable spirit, flexibility, being friendly, passion, commitment, determination, being able to adapt easily, persistence, integrity.

Pachagazine: Describe a time you got into an argument with a co-worker. What happened?

Liza Kamikazi: It is actually so recent! I could not reach a producer I was working with and I need the song so bad that after 2 days without reaching him, I sent him a message threatening him to release the draft if he does not give me the the final but I soon realized how silly that was from my end.

Pachagazine:  How do you feel the Internet has impacted the entertainment business?

It has made the outreach a lot easier and faster and I hear some artists do make a lot of money on YouTube so that is a great impact cause it means it generates income for the artist and sustains his carrier. However there is still an issue of copyright and internet does not always help.

Pachagazine:  What would you tell someone who want to follow your foots steps into music?

I would tell them to tighten their seat belt.

Just like before the airplane takes off! You do not know what the sky is going to be like but you have Faith that the pilot knows what he is doing. So my Pilot is Called King Jesus and  so as he is in charge even though I do not have it all figured out nor have it all together I trust in his faithfulness. I do my best and He does the rest. Is that helpful? I hope so.

Pachagazine:  What’s next for you?

What a question! I am not so sure what next cause most of the times when I thought I knew what was next , I was caught by some surprises but I do have plans do not get me wrong. I am working on a couple of albums and when this Covid thing is over I plan to launch those albums. When will that be? I have no idea. Only my Pilot knows.

Pachagazine:  How can people find you on social media?

YouTube: Liza Kamikazi

Instagram: lizakamikazi_official

Facebook: lizakamikazi

Twitter:lizakamikazi 

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