Arua Municipality MP, Ibrahim Abiriga
MADE IN 2017: Every year brings new things and 2017 has brought us new people who have impacted the entertainment industry in one way or another. They have played a very vital role in music, fashion and society. Isaac Ssejjombwe looks at some of the new kids that came with a bang this year.
Vinka- Musician
Veronica Nakiyingi Luggya was a dancer during her Senior Six vacation. She was a backup dancer for the late Sera who was signed to Swangz Avenue as well as Jackie Chandiru before she was hired to manage artistes at Swangz Avenue. Among the people she managed was Irene Ntale, Zulanda, Black Skin and Winnie Nwagi but early this year, one of the bosses at Swangz Avenue, Julius Kyazze, urged her to try out singing. “I was doing jingles and adverts at Swangz Avenue when Julius Kyazze asked me to give music a shot.
And because I was also studying Music, Dance and Drama at university, I thought about it and decided to give it a shot,” Vinka revealed to us in one of the interviews we did with her. The dancehall, reggae and ragga artiste has six songs so far, including Level, Stylo ft Irene Ntale, In The Mood and Only Love You, Overdose alongside Kent and Flosso as well as Malaika. All the songs have received good listenership and viewership but it is the last two that are topping charts.
Latinum-Musician
Many were surprised to learn that Latinum was among the thousands who sat their UACE exams last month. He was doing music while running to the classroom during weekdays until a few weeks ago when he finished his exams at Window International School in Mbarara where he did Geography, Economics, Art and I.C.T. Latinum’s claim to fame was his Shs30,000 hit Amanya Gange which became a ‘problem’ on the airwaves last year. He also caught our attention because of the similarity his sound had to A Pass but according to Latinum, real name Tonny Mbangira, he gets his inspiration from a Jamaican artiste known as Alkaline. This year, the 18-year-old was signed by Gifted Music Group, a music label based in Ntinda and he was on fire, releasing songs such as Baabo, Man Away, We Deya, Tonado and Kagwirawo, among others. His dream? To be as consistent as Jose Chameleone.
Malaika Nnyanzi- Radio presenter
Malaika Nnyanzi joined KFM’s D’Mighty Breakfast show in April this year and since then, her career has been sky rocketing. After just three weeks on air, she was nominated in the Radio and TV Awards for ‘Best female Presenter’. Her captivating voice and articulation have won her a number of voice-overs for adverts and events in Uganda, hosting from sports, fashion, entertainment and children’s events. Some of these include Black Creations fashion show, Uganda Sports Press Association awards, the East African Spelling Bee, Top 100 Mid-Sized companies and dinner gala, Hot pink catwalk fashion show, Itel 10th Anniversary, US Embassy SEED fashion show 4th edition, among others.
She also hosted the UNAA convention in Las Vegas this year as well as the Road to Namibia Annual Music Awards and Club Music Video Awards. Their morning show, which she co-hosts with Brian Mulondo, recently won Best unconventional Radio show in the Media Challenge Awards. Malaika is also a TV presenter on Rockstar TV for Shoooosh, now on clouds TV Rwanda and the United Arab Emirates as well as an actress in Nana Kagga’s Reflections series. How this girl juggles all this? Only this girl knows!
Brian White-Socialite
Brian Kirumira is his real name but you can call him Brian White, and no he has no relation to the rich Kirumiras. His rise to fame came when he gave Spark TV presenter Miles Rwamiti Shs5m on live TV and offered money to whichever caller on the show rushed to the station. He went on to make headlines when he invaded Jack Pemba’s Fusion Autospa hangout and staked Shs168m for the regular socialite to regain his table.
Video clips of Brian White giving out money to women, children and journalists started circulating and before we knew it, he had started traversing the country in a bid to help the underprivileged. He went to Mityana, Mubende, Mukono and Jinja, giving out items to the expectant mothers, children, widows, the jobless and youths. Although there were stories that his source of income was drugs, the 33-year-old refuted the claims, saying he inherited his wealth from his stepfather in Italy. Among the property he claims to have inherited were businesses and houses that he renovated and sold. White does not like to be referred to as a socialite but rather an activist.
Eno Beats- Producer
There are Ugandan producers but there is Enock Kisakye, better known as Eno Beats and this was his year. He is the brain behind Bebe Cool’s Katono hit song, Sheebah, Fik Fameica and Roden Y’s Sitani Tonkema, Irene Ntale’s Twelageko and Muwe by Sheebah. He gives credit to his father who he says taught him how to play instruments while his mother gave him some money to start his own studio.The 26-year-old Social Sciences graduate from Nkumba University also holds a qualification in Production, which he attained at Music Academy of Gauteng, South Africa. Washington Ebangit and Allan Okia are his idols in the production industry. He recently opened his own studio.
Bobi Wine-Member of Parliament
Before you all start complaining that Bobi Wine is not a new kid on the block, let us remind you that we are talking about Robert Kyagulanyi the politician. It is this year that he was able to contest for Kyadondo East Member of Parliament, go through and also pave way for other entertainers to also be interested in participating in politics. Artistes like Hilderman, Ronald Mayinja and Amooti Omubalanguzi are some of those Bobi has inspired into politics. Barely a year in Parliament, Kyagulanyi has been in the headlines more than any other parliamentarian. Juggling both music and politics, more than five of his shows have been cancelled by the police, he was also stopped from being hosted on several TV and radio stations. Not forgetting that he was one of the MP’s who was detained for having participated in the chaos in Parliament when the Speaker suspended the opposition MP’s. It is said he will be contesting in a much more higher position after this term and that is why he has been traversing the country in the last few months.
Veronica Ayak- Model
Veronica Ayak was this year signed to the Squad Model Management in London, the same management that represents Naomi Campbell. She is heading in the same direction as Uganda’s biggest model Aamito or even more and this is because age is on her side. The 16-year-old was discovered during the ultimate model search organised by Joram Model Management this year and has featured in different fashion campaigns, including the just-concluded Abryanz Fashion Awards and Black Creations among others. She also walked for different local and international designers at this year’s Kampala Fashion Week.
Brian White-Socialite
Brian Kirumira is his real name but you can call him Brian White, and no he has no relation to the rich Kirumiras. His rise to fame came when he gave Spark TV presenter Miles Rwamiti Shs5m on live TV and offered money to whichever caller on the show rushed to the station. He went on to make headlines when he invaded Jack Pemba’s Fusion Autospa hangout and staked Shs168m for the regular socialite to regain his table. Video clips of Brian White giving out money to women, children and journalists started circulating and before we knew it, he had started traversing the country in a bid to help the underprivileged. He went to Mityana, Mubende, Mukono and Jinja, giving out items to the expectant mothers, children, widows, the jobless and youths. Although there were stories that his source of income was drugs, the 33-year-old refuted the claims, saying he inherited his wealth from his stepfather in Italy. Among the property he claims to have inherited were businesses and houses that he renovated and sold. White does not like to be referred to as a socialite but rather an activist.
Ibrahim Abiriga- MP
2017 brought us many people but it shone light on Ibrahim Abiriga, the Arua Municipality MP. He first became controversial with his dress code, all-yellow, which represented the political party he belongs to. Then as if to drive the point home better, he painted his beetle yellow. And when it was not his monotone screaming for attention, it was his reckless public behaviour such as emptying his bladder on Ministry of Finance buildings.
This was a breakout year for some but there are those that had been around but got their big break this year. PHOTOS BY michael kakumirizi/ Godfrey Lugaaju/Courtesy