GOSPEL BAND: Twenty seven sounds like a huge number for a band but for The Blended Band, the bigger the number, the wider the word will spread. Now eight years and still counting, the group shares their journey.
What is the name of the band and why that name?
We chose the name Blended Band because of the different talents from different churches that came together for one cause — to serve God. We came together to give not only the best harmony, or music but also other gifts such as teaching, preaching, prophesying and others.
How many members are in the band?
We are 27.
How did you guys link up?
We linked up at an organisation called Youth for Christ Uganda where most of us were volunteering during our Senior Six vacation in the outreach department but other people have joined the band after some time.
When was the band established?
In 2009 by a bunch of people led by Jeff Mujumba.
What kind of music do you guys do?
We do afro-beat fused with RnB and Jazz gospel — we mostly play live.
What challenges are you facing so far in the industry?
Some people have not yet understood the kind of music that we do and why we are doing it. It is evident with most radio stations and the press in general, who find it so hard to play gospel music except for a few hours on a Sunday.
We know gospel groups for always performing in churches. Is this one of those groups?
We play in churches, schools, universities and other organised group gatherings such as weddings and other parties for a few shillings which we use to sustain the band activities.
Do all of you perform when you have to?
That depends on what the client needs. If they want the the whole band, then the whole band goes but sometimes if we have several events on the same day, then we split into different groups. We always find a way to handle shows.
Do you all survive on music?
No. Most of us do other things. The members have different professions. Some are lawyers, IT technicians, social scientists, business administrators, human resource managers. We have all professions in one place. We sponsor ourselves and we are glad to do what we do to support the band.
You recently had a concert. What was it all about?
The Aberawo Concert happened last Saturday at Redeemed of the Lord Church in Makerere. The concert was all about releasing our Abeerawo album and we took a title song off that particular album because the song is inspirational. People have gone through a lot, they have been disappointed, have lost hope in life and we needed to encourage them. It was a wonderful concert, people came through and it was a success.
Where do you see the band in the next coming years?
We see ourselves being the next big thing all over the world just like what our vision says. ‘We would like to give each person an opportunity to worship God in truth and in spirit through our music.’ We see the band impacting very many worship teams, impacting the gospel music in Uganda because our music is good quality. We want to sing about music that is going to change people’s hearts towards God.
issejjombwe@ug.nationmedia.com