KELVIN Simfukwe, famously known as Kay from the popular music duo Chanda na Kay, recently shed light on his brief stint at Cavendish University.
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The artiste confessed that it was the pressure of being a celebrity, and “Ulunkumbwa,” that pushed him towards higher education, a path he quickly abandoned due to overwhelming public attention.
Speaking on Kenny T’s “One on One” podcast in Lusaka, Kay candidly explained that his enrollment in an Economics programme wasn’t entirely his own initiative.
“It was not my will to start school,” he revealed.
“I was just told to hold a document and put on a cap, a picture was taken and posted that he has started tertiary education.”
The instant fame proved to be a significant hurdle to his academic pursuits.
“School was just ‘Ulunkumbwa’, people used to capture me when I entered the class, and when a lecturer pointed at me to answer a question, all the phones could be up on me,” he elaborated.
“It’s like you have put an eagle’s egg on chicken eggs.Celebrity life took over. Otherwise I was just told to make myself comfortable for a picture which I thought was for an identity card but it was posted and went viral.”
Despite the past challenges, Kay noted he is still doing the survey to see which school to go back to.
Meanwhile, his musical partner, Edward Chanda, also known as Apa ni Chanda, offered a different perspective on celebrity status and education.
He believes celebrities should pursue studies discreetly.
As for his own academic future, Chanda spared no second to the thought of pursuing any further education.
“Going back to school to do what? I cannot go back to school, here where I am I haven’t gotten my grade 12 results, I just want to focus on doing music that’s where my call is and I am passionate about it,” he declared.
The renowned rap duo also reminisced about their journey to stardom.
Both artistes started in separate groups on the Copperbelt before uniting.
“I met Chanda when he was in another group as a leader and I was also in another group as a leader,” Kay recounted.
“We agreed to start singing together to try if we could make something great, we tried and we blew (became famous) in 30 days. The song which made us famous was ‘Bella’.”
Their success, they stressed, was born from self-belief despite humble beginnings.
When asked if they take alcohol or smoked, the duo confirmed being staunchly sober.
“I have never taken beer or smoked in my life,” Kay asserted while Chanda shared he used to smoke and drink but has since stopped.
Interestingly, despite their close musical collaboration, the artistes maintain a clear boundary in their personal lives.
“We don’t play together but we work together,” Kay explained, citing the Bemba proverb, ‘Ifimiti ifipalamine tafibula ukukwesana’ (trees that are too close to each other will inevitably rub against each other).
He elaborated on potential conflicts that could arise from personal interactions.
The “Aba Nyoli Nyoli” hitmakers offering valuable advice to young artists stating humility was paramount.
They urged aspiring musicians particularly those from Kopala who sometimes believe they are beyond guidance not to act as though they know everything, but rather to be humble and learn from established figures in the industry.
By Lucy Phiri
Kalemba July 7, 2025
