Jjemba (left) poses with Captain Dolla. PHOTO BY ISAAC SSEJJOMBWE
(Jjemba met Captain Dolla of the Emesse fame before he caught up with his performance later that evening).
Hi Captain Dolla, I’m Paul.
Hi Paul, what do you do for a living?
I’m a student at Makerere University, doing a diploma in Computer Science. What are your real names?
I am Lawrence Alienka.
I love your jam (Emesse). How did you come up with it?
Thanks for appreciating. Anyway I perceived that idea from childhood memories. I grew up in a community full of rats and my sisters used to call me to get rid of them, so I decided to come up with an idea relating to the same situation, but this time using a couple, with a wife asking her husband to wake up and kill the rats.
But some people are saying the song has some hidden sexual meaning, especially when you listen to the lyrics carefully …
People’s views are different and Ugandans have a way of twisting things to their own thinking. So, everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. I am planning to release another version of the same song specially targeting children, probably with an animated video.
Are you an independent artiste?
Well, we came up with a project called Eye Entertainment, which supports upcoming talent.
When you say “we” who are you referring too?
It’s basically a group of guys like Messiah, Chozen K, Maron our manager and myself, Captain Dollar.
When Ugandan musicians land a hit song, they launch an album. Should we expect an album launch soon?
Hahahaha, not now of course. I still want my song to penetrate as far as South Africa. I’m looking at having an album launch when I’m an established artiste and it should be a 12 track album.
Do you write your own songs?
Besides being a singer, I write my songs and for other artistes as well. I thank God for being talented at both singing and writing.
Let us hope this isn’t the last we have heard from you?
No no no. I’ve come and I’m here to stay. If I could compose a track such as Emesse and people liked it, why wouldn’t I release more and more songs for the love you fans have shown me? I’m here to make a mark on the entertainment scene.
Besides singing, what is your other profession?
I can’t say I’m doing anything else. I’m in my S.6 vacation but music is what I can’t do without.
In your song, you said in one of the verses that you killed the rat, yet you contradicted yourself in the last words that you are not sure if it’s dead or alive. What was that all about, you seemed to refer to killing rats as a continuous process?
It was creativity to spice up the song.
Which concerts have you performed at so far?
I have been to many places and on the February 2, I’m heading to Johannesburg, South Africa to perform at the Miss East Africa pageant.
When did you start doing music?
Like I already told you, I am in my S.6 vac. I recorded Emesse last December. It is my first single.
What’s your style of music?
I have a unique style called Luga dancehall.
It was nice meeting you!
The pleasure is all mine. Keep reading hard man.
