Upclose. Jovan Kiyingi is a musician whose stage name is Giovanni Kiyingi. He is based in Phoenix Arizona, US. He plays five traditional music instruments that he fuses in his music to create a new sound. He happily identifies himself as God-fearing, open-minded with a love for earthly travellers, Edgar R. Batte.
The first thing I do in the morning…
I pray.
What do I pray for?
I thank God for keeping me through the night and I put my day in His hands, for nothing I am doing that He does not know. Then the bodily things come in.
The first thing I do when I get to work…
I clock in the machine for the day, move to the staff board to check the clients allocated to me for the day then move to the attendance room to greet my clients and knowing how their night was before we start behaviour classes.
My earliest childhood memory…
I always waited every evening for the striped polyethylene bag containing TipTop bread that my father brought.
My first best friend was…
Fred Yiga because the two of us loved art and drawing. We used to draw charts for teachers’ illustrations for Primary Two and Primary Seven, and our payment was the staffroom good food. Unfortunately, we lost contact as my family relocated because my father worked on different construction sites around Uganda.
My first kiss…
I was 26 years old. I do not wish to explain more than that (he breaks into laughter).
My childhood hero…
Mrs Josephine Nabuyungo, the headmistress of St Joseph’s Naggalama Mixed Primary School. I remember having school fees challenges from Primary Four to Primary Seven. I told her what I was going through at home and she never sent me back home for fees. Very compassionate.
The first book I read…
A Bible. Growing up we had to say evening prayers at home. The Bible was a must for everyone.
My first job…
Doing music around the world.
My first salary…
After playing at the Pearl Rhythm Festival (2013) which was at Uganda Germany Cultural Society on MacKinnon Road.
Interestingly, this day my most memory was sharing stage with my best world music artists, Myco Ouma, Jude Mugerwa, Herbert Kinobe, the Blood Brothers and Suzan Kerunen. I never minded the money.
My current job…
Social service providing public health on top of my music career.
What I like about my job…
Since 2019, I have been offering social services in Phoenix Arizona using my music too.
I had a chance of learning how communities influence different behaviour change in people. I like using my music to create a proper channel for many that have fallen off the road to get back to proper community health behaviour.
Quick notes…
Most memorable experience…Performing with Rockies Troupe in India for Sadhguru at one of the biggest yoga festival (mahashivratri) for more than 800,000 people.
Biggest regret…Not completing my Bachelor of Performing Arts at Makerere University.
My first girlfriend…We could not work out because I failed to balance my career journeys and my love life.
What I dislike about my job…
The healing channel is not the same, you get to meet different people, the welcoming and the challenging ones.