Self-taught guitarist draws Tiktok following

MUSIC

By ANNE-MARIE HANNEMA
A YOUNG man from Chimbu has become an online sensation with his amazing talent of beautiful guitar playing.
The self-taught guitarist is John Kii, a humble 25-year-old man who did not think his skills would get much attention. He now has 15,000 followers on his Tiktok account King Jora, with thousands of views on every video he uploads.
Born and raised in Jiwaka, Kii is the third of four siblings raised in a disciplined church-oriented family. He was first introduced to the guitar at a very young age by his mother who strummed and sang for him and his siblings.
However, he did not learn all the chords. You see, Kii does not play the guitar according to the chords, because he is not familiar with them. He strums according to the music he listens to. He can listen to a song once or twice and is able to strum the acoustic version of the entire track.
“I actually started strumming before I started school. My fingers were small and could not hold down chords. As I got older my mother urged me to practice more as she saw that I had real talent to play the guitar.
“I would practice until my fingers bled but it did not stop me as it was my only hobby and I wanted to perfect my guitar skills,” Kii said.
By the time he got to secondary school he was already a pro but he had to put his guitar aside to concentrate on his studies which was his number one priority.
“Many people saw my potential and asked me to join bands but I refused as my parents would not agree with me leaving school to persue music. I chose to put music aside and concentrate on my studies which resulted in me completing high school and getting selected to further my education at Pacific Adventist University, Science Foundation Year. I went on to study Medical Laboratory Sciences and now I am doing my final year,” Kii said.
Kii said he only started playing when he got into medical faculty as a way of releasing stress. He said it was his escape.
“I strum when I am stressed about school, family and my future and I strum when I am happy. It helps me through. Seeing how talented I was playing the guitar, I was advised by a friend to create a TikTok account and share my videos and so I did.
“I created and posted my first video which got 200,000 views after the first two weeks.
“I received positive comments encouraging me to create more content and got requests for me to play the acoustics versions of their favourite songs,” Kii said.
He said he replied to the requests and uploaded more videos and now have gained 15,000 followers and 500,000 plus views.
Kii said through his TikTok account, he was contacted by a studio owner who showed great interest in his guitar skills.
“I was privilege to be contacted by the owner of RLK Studios Leon Nguyen who invited me and introduced me to some big name artists as well.
“That was the first time I visited a real music studio and was gifted a guitar by Nguyen. That was the first time I ever owned a guitar, this motivated me to practice and perfect my skills,” Kii said.
He said through RLK studios he was introduced to Keynote music shop to check out the instruments and possibly perform at the shop.
“I regret putting music aside. I will now balance both. Music has brought me this far. Now that I am about to complete my final year I am very much eager to see where my studies and music will take me in the near future.
“Music has also increased my confidence as I have always been the shy and quiet one. But after performing on stage and being introduced to influential figures in the music industry, my confidence level has grown,” Kii said.
“My advice to the people who want to learn to play an instrument or make music, is that it is not too late to learn. Practice makes perfect so always practice and be better.
“I thank Leon from RLK Studios for noticing my talent and bringing me out and also for giving me my very first guitar.
“I never imagined my music would take a turn like this and here I am meeting major artists, studio owners and major bands and a promising music career ahead.”
Kii also thanked his supportive family, especially his parents for supporting him through his life journey to be the best version of himself.