Social media users were harsh on me-Singer Jimmy Gait

No sooner had Jimmy Gait released his rendition of Adele’s Hello, than the Kenyan showbiz reacted massively.

Unfortunately, it was not the kind of response any artiste who checks into a studio to release music would expect.

It was overwhelmingly negative, with social media users even going the extra mile to make “troll memes”. But was Jimmy Gait ready?

“No. That was not the kind of response I expected.As a matter of fact, it was the complete opposite. Around that time, a lot of media houses also called me up for interviews but I turned them down because I knew the discussions would have made the whole incident worse!” Jimmy Gait told Pulse while trying to explain his absence from the music scene.

After months of sitting it out, Jimmy Gait is back with a new music, Cool your Temper, which he hopes can be an inspirational lessons to those going through hard times.

With so many artistes going through scandals, financial difficulties and trolls, this may just be his comeback tune.
Unlike many Kenyan artistes, Jimmy Gait’s career started on a high with his first hit Muhathara becoming an anthem.

During that time, the gospel industry was still on a growth tangent, scandals in the gospels industry were not common and the Internet was not so rife with trolls.

It was a good time for different gospel genres, just before things changed.

“Fans are not loyal in this era. Today they may love you and tomorrow they could be your first trolls; I learnt that the hard way, but I am glad it never changed me,” Jimmy adds.

After analysing himself as a brand, Jimmy Gait realised that he needed to make a comeback and re-strategize his entry to the market.

His rendition of Adele’s music had left many fans wondering why he would choose to do a secular artiste’s rendition, whether he had left the gospel industry to become a contemporary musician and with this comeback he hopes to answer that question.

“I loved the original song and decided to do a localised rendition like many cover artistes would. I am still very much in the gospel industry but I don’t understand where all the negativity came from.

My new song Cool your Temper will hopefully speak to the fans,” says the singer whose follow song after that cover version, Yesu ndiye Sponsor, only sparked more controversy with many objecting to the comparison alluded to.

Jimmy Gait affirms that he still has very close associates in the gospel circles that understand and work with him. For Cool your Temper, the singer chose to work with Jacky B, while Dreamland Studios shot his video.

Aside from music, Jimmy is a businessman and this has been taking most of his time off studio. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise when his recent business come from a stranger who met him after the much-publicised troll.

“One of my current business partners met me after watching me on television. Rather than focusing on the negativity he decided to make me a partner in his business and soon you may see our products across different platforms,” he reveals.
Even for one who has been in the industry for a while, he admits that fans and trolls can destabilise an artistes’ career.

“Even when people say negative things about you, the most important thing is to believe in yourself. The words I said to myself during the troll were the most important part of my comeback because I knew my comeback would be greater,” he declares.

With a strong belief that his musical prowess and his chances at topping the charts are still on an impressively high level, he believes that he is on a relentless quest to keep releasing music and serve as an example to artistes who are scared to take the next step in their career for fear of negativity.

While the industry may not always come to an artiste’s rescue, he emphasises that having a close and caring circle always comes in handy because they keep you grounded. “People are not loyal to you so you have to be loyal to yourself. I have learnt to share that mantra with anyone that cares to listen,” he says.