Cohen Mwesigwa alias Kohen Jaycee released his debut album, Rwembera, on all platforms yesterday, he says the album is a tribute to those have inspired him. Photo | Courtesy.
If you have paid attention to local music for the past five years, you should have observed that there is more than one known local music industry. There is a mainstream industry, which dominates the airwaves; these play songs tied to a certain winning formula.
The songs are in Luganda and the chorus usually has a word or two that people can easily sing along to. It is usually dancehall, zouk or a fusion of both locally referred to as Kidandali. This is probably the biggest local music industry, commanding a large audience, media, and corporate support.
The other local music industry is in the ghetto, thriving on already-produced ragga instrumentals and the power of freestyle. This kind of industry thrives mainly on TikTok and Snapchat. For some months, this kind of industry has given Uganda pop-up songs such as Wantama, Muzabibu, and Ozambe.
Then there is the streaming audience; some call it the new wave industry, while others call them planned kids’ artistes. Their music is not heavy on rotation; they are not popular on your number one station, and you will never catch any of them backstage at a Jose Chameleone concert, seeking an opportunity to perform.
Their playground is rarely the mainstream radio or TV, and neither are they in need of Chameleone’s audience; the game is online. These artistes have learnt the numbers game better than their peers; Spotify, Apple Music, Audio Mack, and Boomplay are their playground.
These are artistes such as Ceee, Akiene, Likkle Bangi, Elijah Kitaka, Joshua Baraka, and Kohen Jaycee, among others. These artistes sound different; their music is a fusion of R&B and Afrobeat, and they have exclusive performances such as Shorts Na Lesu, Jamerson and Friends, and Piano People, among others. The artistes have managed to create an audience that loves fine music, different and refined, so even with little advertising, you will find an adoring audience at their shows singing their songs word for word.
On Friday, one of such artistes, Cohen Kohen Jaycee Mwesigwa, released his debut album, Rwembera: Rising Echoes. The 16-track album, he says, is titled after his father, Rwembera; however, he too shares the name, alongside his newly born son. He says the album is a very personal story inspired by everything about him and his son.