By Tony Onoh 

UNIVERSITY of East London student Sam Mpendo has been indefatigable in the pursuit of his dream. With the release of his debut single he is beginning to see the reward for all his hard work. Also known as Cadet, Sam is the latest music sensation in the UK music industry. He is enjoying the rapid rise of his music on the European and world music chart.

Born to a Ugandan dad and a Rwandan mum (both medical doctors), he migrated to the UK at the age of three. He is completing a Bachelor of Art degree at the University of East London, London. Cadet´s interest in music began at a very young age. He remembers listening to his parents, who sang in the church choir and made music at home. "My parents sing in the church choir and my grandparents also sang in the church choir. There was always music around the house," he asserted.

Although he had always listened to gospel and choir music, they never influenced his choice of music as a child. His choice of music was quite different from the ones he listened to at home. "I liked rap as a child. I liked rap music that had wholesome and positive message because my moral upbringing wouldn't permit me to listen to music with lots of vulgarities and swearing like most rappers do," he said. He had kind words and admiration for his music idol and rapper Nas, to whom he attributed the authorship of "message-based" rap music.

Cadet thinks that music should be both educational and entertaining. I call it "edu-tainment," he humorously said. Acknowledging the enormous influence music and its lyrics have on the lives of youths in our society today, he introduced a balance between musical education and entertainment in his songs. He has drawn inspiration from artists like Nas and Jay Z. The two rappers have influence his music as well as his general outlook on life. He assertively puts it this way, "you can listen to message-based songs without the need for parental control, you don't need to turn them off when your parents are there and turn them on when they leave".

He expressed satisfaction with the overwhelming success his "fusion" style of music has made in the music industry. "It also has a little taste of Indian music because of the accompaniment used in some of the songs," he said. Explaining why he embraced this unique style of musical, he said: "I looked at what I had (at the time) and I thought that if I do not use it now, the trend could be overtaken by newer ones, so I quickly experimented with it and produced this rhythm". His goal, he says, is to "educate people, entertain and lift people´s spirit through my music." (Click here to see video of Realise by Cadet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9ruUX80tCs)

Filled with strong energy and the eagerness to propagate this message across, he has worked out a delicate balance between his studies and music career. Inspired by a saying by one of his favourite artists - ‘if you truly like something, do it' - he is determined to pursue his dream in music no matter how difficult it may seem. "It is challenging though, but I prioritize and make sure that my first priority is the university (obviously) and then my music", he said. This capacity to prioritize allowed him time to successfully complete his first music video during the Study Week; a video that has received overwhelming endorsement of critics and fans across the UK since it was broadcast on You Tube.

A truly humble man, Cadet says he intends to "lay low in order to rise as much as possible". He would like to introduce his music to Asia, America, Africa and other parts of the world make more music videos. Above all he is determined to remain humble about his successes. "I intend to keep level-headed and remember that I am privileged to be in this position. God has made it possible," he said.

Cadet has seven songs in his debut album and he is looking forward to the release of his next album in the first quarter of this year. To his fans across Europe and around the world, he would like them to know that "hard work pays". He has worked so hard to realise his dream. He is thankful that after all these years of unrelenting efforts he has received positive feedback from his producer, and intends to stay professional.

He is thankful to his producer and his entire crew, his parents and all those who have supported him. Above all he expresses gratitude to almighty God for his infinite love for him.

(Click here to see video of Realise by Cadet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9ruUX80tCs)