one soldier, one man army: Coco Finger broke out with his Mikono Wagulu track back in 2009 and he has released hit after hit. He had a one-on-one with his fan Wilson Mwesigwa.
Hi Coco. It’s been a while since I last heard anything from you. What is happening?
Well, I can’t say it’s been quite long but I’ve been working on a number of projects and the fruits are beginning to bear. My Leo ni Leo video is out, I am doing country tours here and there, I have a project with Chance Nalubega. I have in Germany and I am heading to the UK for musical shows and I’m soon launching my website www.cocofinger.com together with my Luo Ambassador label website.
I see no connection between Coco and Finger. Where did you get such a name and what are your birth names?
My real name is Moses Okori. I got the stage name Coco Finger while in Tanzania. When I had just gone there, I loved coconuts so much that Tanzanians named me Coconut, which I cut short to Coco and I got the Finger name from Finger prints.
What was your breakthrough song?
That was Emikono Wagulu (Hands up), which I did in 2009. Actually I have a Luo version, which didn’t make it big, so I just made a Luganda version out of it.
Where did you learn how to dance from and do have any name for those kind of dances?
I’m a dancer apart from being an artist. I choreograph my dances before I teach my dancers. Right now, especially in my new video Leo Ni Leo, I have two types of dances called Robot and Mchakamchaka.
What is the song you like the most and why?
I love Kimuli Kya Rosa the most because of its melody and codes. It has that true Ugandan feel and surprisingly, it’s the most loved of my songs in the northern region.
What would you be if you weren’t doing music?
I graduated with a diploma in Social Development at the Institute of Social Development in 2003, so I would basically be a counsellor. But music also falls in the line of socialising with people, I would say I’m doing both.
How do you call your type of music?
I call it new age music whereby I blend Afro-urban music with local content. But some say its Afro-dancehall.
Are you married?
Not yet but I’m seeing someone who is better off not mentioned. We have an eight-month-old daughter.
What is the best and worst thing to have happened in your life so far?
My first tour to Dubai was the best thing to happen in my life because it was my first time abroad back in 2011. My worst moment was last year when my dad suffered a stroke and doctors demanded Shs3.5m for him to receive immediate attention. I rushed to the bank and withdrew all the money I had on my account and he was given the medical attention he needed and he’s slowly recovering.
Tell me about your musical journey?
I started song writing while in S.5 and after my diploma, I travelled to Dar es Salaam to try different sounds. I did five songs and one video, True Love, and came back to Uganda in 2007 to study the Ugandan music industry until 2009 when I met Emma Carlos, who told me to remix Mukidongo with a group he was managing then, called Wafagio.
As the year was coming to an end, I released Mikono Wagulu, which became a hit, then followed it up with My Miss, which in the process made me skip the title “One hit wonder”. I later released other tracks like Don’t Break My Heart.
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