Approximately two years since his return to Rwanda, Inki has already created space for his craft and tastes in the Rwandan music scene. Resetting, for him, meant returning to Rwanda, and making music for his people.

Also read: Why Inki returned home to pursue music

His hit song ‘Miriyoni’ articulates exactly what you can expect from his music, which is a mix of afro pop and RNB with a subtle twist of Gakondo to the sound, making it unique. His journey to that point, however, was no bed of roses.

One of the things he struggled with was adjusting to the social dynamics in Rwanda, especially because of how different they had been from what he was used to.

The many friends he had made overtime and his now wife however, helped him navigate it, and eventually he found his way around.

According to the 35-year-old singer, real name Inkindi Muyango, one of his goals after the move had been to connect with Rwandan artistes and work on collaborative projects with them. The time it took to get that done posed as a challenge, especially because the wait was thinning his patience.

"My first goal was to meet with artistes and create something together. I reached out to some of them but sometimes things take time to begin. We all talked and after all that networking I only have one song with Ruti Joel.” He says.

Making ‘Miriyoni’ with Ruti Joel was the beginning of significant progression for Inki, seeing as this song helped him connect with young artists and audiences which he had intended to do for a while, but connecting to his roots and to music that emulated his father’s style of music was an added bonus he was grateful for.

"Ruti Joel is the first artiste I started working with and it was perfect because he blends modern music with Gakondo and that connects to my father. It was a way to connect with young artistes but also connect with my roots,” he adds.

‘Miriyoni’ is one of the records that has given him recognition and often times he’s surprised by the scenarios he finds himself in, especially when he’s walking and someone yells "agacheri kanjye” which is one of the first verses on the song, a glimpse into stardom, one might say.

One of the things that prompted his big break into the Rwandan music scene was his first job as the entertainment at a bar, which he came across through a bar manager that had checked out his Instagram page and asked him to perform at Lavana, which helped Inki get accustomed to performing and interacting with different types of people and that played significantly into broadening his network, thus prompting his monthly performances at the hotspot.

Some of his favorite things about living in Rwanda thus far is "being around people who look like me and my parents” and the infinite possibilities within the land of a thousand hills. "Rwanda is a country that looks forward and you can see it in how people work together and that’s something I really love,” he said.

One of his pet peeves is the delay in service delivery and the way it is justified with the word "Ihangane” which is how service providers communicate their need for patience from clients in times of delay.

Creating music with Muyango

A son of Jean Marie Muyango, one of Rwanda’s most prominent traditional artistes, it was only natural that Inki adopted the music gene from his father. While his genre is more modern than traditional, one of the ways he would like to emulate Muyango is through their shared love for traditional music, which is what prompted the decision to work on a collaborative project with one another.

"I’m going to work with a lot of artistes but the next big step is to work with my father which is something important because I want to work with the legend. Aside from the fact that he is my father, he’s done great things for the music in Rwanda which I respect and to make music with him will be one of the biggest achievements in my music career,” he explained.

In addition to creating music with his father, Inkindi intends to tour the provinces and share his music with Rwandans across the country. He also plans to release an EP by the year’s end with notable collaborations from rappers and singers/songwriters in Rwanda such as Ruti Joel, Mike Kayihura and Kivumbi King. An album release, according to him, will depend on how the EP will be perceived and to what extent audiences will resonate with it.

Life as a newlywed

On August 16, Inki got married to Ange Christelle who he had been dating since his return to Rwanda, and he couldn’t be happier about it. He attributes his marriage to a happier, more confident self, even though he didn’t visualize it when he first moved to Rwanda. The two had an intimate vibrant wedding ceremony in Gisenyi, surrounded by close friends and family, and the groom’s father Muyango graced the occasion with a timely performance they found heartwarming.

"My wife is an amazing person. She’s supportive, caring and loving. I can’t complain,” the singer said.