Kennth Mugabi during his performance (Photo by Gabriel Buule)
Many thought Kenneth Mugabi was out of his mind to have set an album launch date that collided with the day Jamaican Reggae star Chronixx was to perform in Uganda. However on Saturday the sensational singer proved that over the years, he has built a fan base as Design Hub was fully packed with thousands of Mugabi fans. Sticking to his genre of Afro-Neo-Soul, Mugabi again shunned bubble gum music on his ‘The Ugandan’ album. Unleashing 13 songs that include ‘Nkwegomba’, ‘Embeera’ ‘Mugab’i, and ‘ebinyuma’ among many as well as collaborations with main stream artistes.
Mugabi and Angela Kalule turned the crowd up (Photo by Gabriel Buule)
Mugabi re-affirmed his place in the books of Ugandan Music stars in a fully packed expanded Design Hub venue that even at shs50, 000 fans paid and some stood to watch him perform regardless the fact that there was another musical event at Serena Hotel in Kampala.
Legendary Vocalists, Angella Kalule and Lilian Mbabazi put up great performances all endorsing Mugabi as a multi-talented vocalist who the fans should pay attention to. Opening his set at about 8:20pm, Mugabi choose not to entirely own the show giving an opportunity to his band and his backup artistes Sheba Shahai, Mwiza and Marsha to perform their song.
A fan performing with Mugabi (Photo by Gabriel Buule)
Eugene on the drums, Aloysius Migadde on the lead guitar, Happy Kyazze on the saxophone, Lawrence Matovu on bass, Ronnie Bukenya on keys with Marsha and Sheba Mwiza on the backup vocals all had a good day on stage. Certainly, the audience was stuck by the sense that most of the songs on Kenneth Mugabi’s Ugandan Album where too sweet too new to their ears that unlike on the previous album a few could sing along until when to strung his guitar for the audience to hear the sound of ‘Nkwegomba’ and almost the entire audience went wild.
Lilian Mbabazi performing with Mugabi (Photo by Gabriel Buule)
Mugabi’s Ugandan Album performance at Fezah entertainment played a considerable part in his rise to mainstream as it was evident that un like in the past when his genre of music used to be consumed by the white fans and the millennial this was his time not only to prove his worth as a rising afro soul star but to prove the worth of his genre attracting a vast audience.
Mugabi alos worked hard on this too, he made sure that his album had four collaborations with singer Maureen Nantume, Angella Kalule, Iryn Namubiru and Lillian Mbabazi who are amazing vocalists.
Kenneth Mugabi (Photo by Gabriel Buule)
Just like the old saying goes “Old is Gold” the fans who are finding it hard to get rid of Mugabi’s old Album kept asking the singer to perform ‘Naki’ of ‘Kibunomu’ album.
