Better known by the stage name ET, Steve Ndahigwa has been in the Rwandan music scene for over five years. The collaborative hit single ‘Kantona’ that featured him alongside DJ Pyfo and Kenny K-shot may be what put him on the map, but ET was making music long before that.
He recalls his interest in the music scene piquing back in high school, and what started simply with sharing songs he knows and loves with friends turned into consistent encouragement from friends to do his own thing and make his own music, which he took to heart in 2017 as he first encountered the recording studio.
The Kglien (alien from Kigali) album made its debut in March 2020 and ET has described the ten song soliloquy as the best introduction to who he truly is, music and everything else. "Stick by me” a product of the album was what introduced his music to DJ Pfyo who later collaborated with him and Kenny Kshot to make Kantona, which is what solidified his fan base.
The album explores themes like self-acceptance with "Love Me for Me,” and love with "Mbwira ko Uhari” and "All about Her” as well as a dose of spirituality with Imana n’iyo Nkuru that featured Kriss Espoir. According to ET, the fact that he was working on music that he would still make if no one was listening was a definitive factor of his creative process and that makes this first album momentous.
On a good day ET is listening to the likes of MIGOS, Future and alternating to RNB with Summer Walker as well as a considerable amount of Afrobeats, but it is Rwanda’s new generation of artists that his listening radar reflects the most.
"All my peers make great music” he said referring to Kenny Kshot, Ish Kevin, Sema Sole and Mike Kayihura who he would like to collaborate with in the future.
One of the biggest lessons he’s learnt since embarking on the music journey is that you cannot singlehandedly do it all, and it always takes a team. "It Takes a Village” is ET’s second album, and according to him, one of the biggest lessons he’s learnt since embarking on the music journey is that team work makes the dream work and doing it singlehandedly on your own might not be the way to go, hence prompting his next project "It Takes a Village.”
If you’re familiar with proverbs and idioms, you’ve probably heard the phrase "it takes a village to raise a child” before. "We’ve missed each other and I am here to give the fans something they can listen to no matter what they’re feeling” he said.
He has not released his own music for a while and from his perspective this new album is raw and he promises it will be worth the audience’s time. "It Takes a Village” by ET will be available on all music platforms from January 21.