It is no longer news that RnB songstress Mya will be headlining this year’s All Music Safari Festival. The annual festival that has in the years given prominence to jazz and soul music will for the first time drop the use of the two music genres in the title to open up the celebration to different music styles and cultures such as rap, pop, reggae and of course soul and jazz as always.
The festival will this year also act as a special celebration of 30 years since Tshaka Mayanja started offering a service to the entertainment industry as a whole.
Mayanja reveals that it is his delight to bring music lovers different music sessions and genres in one big concert; for instance, this year, the festival may have embarked on their most challenging showcase with a lineup that features the best of what Uganda has to offer as far as live music is concerned.
From the new school to the old school, Ugandan music is going to shine in different ways during the concert. For example, he reveals that Lyrical G will be making an appearance alongside Kaz Kasozi, Julius Ssese and Tonya Ahenda in a rap themed session. Other sessions will be of traditional music featuring Nilotica, a tribute to Madilu System with Chido Explosion Band from Congo, Jazz with Myko Ouma, Aloysius Migadde, Tony Trumpet and Jose Sax.
The most surprising is the reggae session that will feature the Roots Warriors of Nalubale, neo-soul sensation Kenneth Mugabi, Qwela band’s Joe Kahiri and Generale Czar’bu. But Mya will be the headlining act. For RnB junkies, Mya is known for songs such as Like ‘Whoa’, ‘Case of the Ex’, ‘Fallen’, ‘It All About Me’ and ‘Lady Marmalade’ and collaborations with rappers.
In a Skype interview, the songstress told sQoop Online that she broke into the industry as an RnB artiste but overtime has been influenced by all the other genres around her such as soul, rap and jazz; “I don’t feel boxed when the media simply refers to me as an RnB artiste,” she said.
Much as this is Mya’s first time in Uganda, she noted that this is not her first time in East Africa or even Uganda, in the past, she has been in Tanzania and at the beginning of the year, she was in Nigeria.
When asked if she will be down for a collaboration, she noted that she’s open to anything considering the fact she is an independent artiste; “I’ve heard about Ugandan music, of course I know Eddy Kenzo, David Lutalo…”
The artiste that celebrated her 40 birthday this year promised Ugandans a show that will embody both the memories of the early 2000s without alienating a younger audience that loves to dance. She also noted that she has read a lot about Uganda and thus can’t wait to see the country and meet the people. The Johnnie Walker All Music Safari is set for November 30 at the Lugogo Cricket Oval.
