12 Mar 2026

After successfully landing songwriting credits with a K-Pop boy band, idntt, on their chart-topping album, yesw8are, which surpassed 430 000 sales within a week of its release, Motswana creative Kago Mokubung, better known as Keigo Wav, is now opening up about the process behind the breakthrough.

For many aspiring songwriters, the dream of writing for international artistes can feel distant. However, Wav is proving that with the right strategy, discipline, and global outlook, the gap can be bridged, even from thousands of kilometres away.

In an interview, the 29-year-old Pilikwe-born songwriter shared that his journey with idntt, an upcoming 24-member K-pop boy group formed by Modhaus Entertainment, began during a virtual songwriting camp, where songwriters, producers, and artistes from different places worked together online to create songs.

Mokubung shared that Modhaus CEO, Jaden Jeong, spotted him then and thereafter asked him to compose a song for idntt as part of the group’s five-track album, which got released in January.

“I wrote the song and titled it Yes We Are, and it went on to be picked as the group’s official anthem and also made the album title,” said Wav, describing the experience as humbling.

Mokubung explained that his journey dates back to the COVID-19 era, when he learnt to take full advantage of digital platforms to advance his craft. His passion lies in pop music and reaching the Asian market. Although he has already written songs for local artistes such as Thato Jessica, Love in September and others, Wav admitted that his pop sound had not always resonated with fellow music producers or artistes locally.

“But I felt so sure about what I was doing that I did not give up, despite some discouraging comments,” he said.

He also noted that the breakthrough was not sheer luck but success built on patience, networking, and mastering the art of songwriting. Armed with a degree in Sound Engineering from Limkokwing University of Creative Technology Botswana, he has invested in honing his skills academically and by producing songs for local radio Dj’s and artistes alike.

He would thereafter cross borders digitally to work with Universal Music Thailand/Briq Entertainment, composing a debut single for their artiste, D-NA, titled BYE BYE.  The budding artiste has also collaborated with many international publishers from Korea, such as Solcire Publishing, StupidSquad Publishing, and others from Europe, including DWB/ARC, LineOut from Sweden, and more.

“The industry thrives on collaboration, so the work is intense, but it is also good for making friendships and networking,” said Keigo Wav adding that in the future, a lot more should be expected from his international collaborations.

He was optimistic that he would one day write for internationally acclaimed boy bands such as BTS. Breaking into the global K-Pop industry is no small feat, even for seasoned songwriters; thus, Keigo Wav underscores that aspiring local artistes who wish to access the global market need to aim for creative works that are undeniably competitive and unique.

His track with idntt, which blends sounds ranging from hip hop and Afrobeat to even punk rock, even though they are a pop group, is a good point of reference.

“Talent exists here in Botswana; however, to make it, artists need to work hard, sacrifice, take ownership of their work, and leverage digital spaces,” he said. BOPA