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Michael Bundi loves reggae music. As an artiste, the Grammy Awards nominee has done several music covers and also recorded his own music. 

With an undying love for reggae, Bundi narrates how he would listen to reggae music everyday at his home and this also impacted his now five-year-old son’s love for reggae since he was an infant. 

“At just two years, Fayez Ace would sing along despite not being able to speak properly. He would pick on the pitch and key of the song and drum along well,” says Bundi. 

He adds, “I will be a proud dad seeing my son follow in my footsteps. I know parents are influential in the career choice of their children. However, I believe children should also be given the right to choose the profession they want to and live their dreams.”

Toxic childhood

For the last few weeks, the 26-year-old father and his five-year-old son have been trending on various online platforms with their exceptional, heartwarming musical performances. 

“When we wake up, we do some vocal warm-ups and then I play lyric videos for songs I want him to learn. He replays the songs more than 10 times then he leaves for school. When he comes back in the evening, he usually has it all in mind,” says the musician and content creator.

Bundi reveals that being raised in a violent home and his parents fighting almost every day saw him grow up in a toxic environment and had to fight depression for more than two decades. “I grew up in Meru where I had a tough upbringing and this really broke my heart at a young age. Hailing from a violent background that had instilled fear in me, and walking into secondary school where I was bullied for bedwetting, my condition became  worse. I experienced bullying and felt out of place,” he narrates. 

Bundi sought therapy last year and clinical psychologist Wambua Mercy helped him overcome this monster. As a result, he wouldn’t want his son to experience what he went through and that is why he has particularly cultivated a great relationship with his son.

 “At the moment, I help people who are going through depression. My son and I are keen on establishing Bundi For Africa, a Non-Governmental Organisation(NGO) that will aim at helping people fight depression,” he asserts.

The father of two says he will do all he can so that his children get the best childhood experience he didn’t get.  He describes his son as a playful, confident and happy child. 

“We do everything together. We play hide and seek, race on the streets, sing together and pray together. Our talks are very mature. Sometimes I call him bro, because our friendship is really intact. When he crawled as a child, I would crawl too and I never leave him behind. He is my biggest fan and I am his. God takes all of the credit as He has made this possible. Only God knows how happy and accomplished I feel. Through my son, I am forever young! I wish the best for him and promise to always be his best friend and father,” says Bundi. 

Fun moments

They  have also had so many funny experiences together, especially while recording. “One day while we were recording our TikTok videos, he said “Hi guys, Today my name is Fayez” and I asked him “Well, what was your name yesterday?” And we laughed our hearts out,” Bundi recalls. 

As a Kenyan nominee of Grammy Awards through the song he did with Etana, a dancehall artist from Jamaica, Bundi says that it was a humbling experience that meant a lot to his music career. “In 2021, Etana featured me on her album Pamoja. The album was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Reggae Album Category and with this came nominations for the featured artists. Working with her was a beautiful experience. She has the biggest heart and she is so humble. You will never feel negative vibes when she is around you!,” he says.

Apart from music, Fayez loves gaming, V-logging and travelling. By raising Fayez, the artiste has learnt so many things. I have learnt that a child is a blessing from God. Most times, we focus on the blessing instead of focusing on the giver of the blessing. I learnt that the giver of a blessing is the only one who knows how to sustain water and make the blessing blossom. Every child deserves a parent who gives them peace and love and sometimes this is hard because the parents are also traumatised by past events. If this is the case, please get some help so that you don’t pass the trauma on to your child. Break the cycle,” he advises. 

 “I pray that my son never strays from the teachings I have given him, especially on life, prosperity and honour will always be his portion,” he says in conclusion.