Iryn Namubiru’s Nkuwekyi: A timeless response, now reframed by her memoir

I am guessing we will think about her songs a little differently since her book, My Mother Knows, was published.

Yikes.

This song came out just after Juliana Kanyomozi’s hit, Nabikoowa. The echoes of their rivalry were still strong at the time so to the music industry it felt like a response from Irene to Juliana’s hit ballad. If that was the case it was certainly worthwhile; both songs are superlative.

Irene had kept away from the pop music scene for a while before she dropped this song. Everyone thought she was busy with her marriage to French jazz saxophonist Frank Morel. She was doing more than that, setting up a gig in Entebbe at a waterfront entertainment spot that quickly became a mainstay for her and her back up live music act.

It was a business savvy move – it horned her vocals, kept her away from the dust and mayhem of Kampala, and gave her an opportunity to observe the industry from a distance. She dropped Nkuwekyi at the right time. The song, with its timeless guitar riff, is immediately recognizable, and helped her keep pace with Juliana.

 

 
If you listen to the song, it sounds custom-made for a live band. That shouldn’t be too surprising. That sort of set up is what she had been practicing with for about two years.

There is a simplicity to Nkuwekyi that made it work as a mid-tempo ballad. A verse and choral arrangement, along with an interlude, and final chorus with ad libs means this is an easy sing along in many places.

I have actually come across karaoke joints that offer this track as a singing option. That will give you an idea of how deeply it immersed itself into the nation’s sub-conscious.

Nkuwekyi is easily Irene’s most recognisable song, even today, and the song is at about 17 years old.