Vinka's rise: From manager to music sensation with "Chips Nah Ketchup"

I don’t know if it was her first song, but I am pretty certain it was her first hit. This was a strange time to be alive. First of all, Irene Ntale quit Swangz Avenue.

Next, she was immediately replaced by an artiste named Vinka.

Next, Vinka was her former manager. I don’t think anything of the sort had happened in the city before ever, so the entire country was wondering what was going on. Her manager?

And there was more – Vinka had the strangest voice ever.

A lot of folks actually thought that was a guy on the mic, but she had the usual bits and pieces, and also wore lipstick, things which seemed to strongly suggest she was female.

Eventually, folks actually started paying attention to her music, and her career wasn’t too bad. She used those off-kilter vocals of hers effectively and worked up a cult-like fan base, and one of those first hits was Chips Nah Ketchup.

It’s a fun, fitty of a song, barely surviving the tag of bubble gum pop. It helped that in the song she related her love for some chap to her love for chips and ketchup. At the time, word on the street was that she was actually referring to an order of chips that you can pick up on the street late in the evening that is often piping hot and served with local tomato sauce. If you are hungry because you have been drinking (as you usually are when you resort to street food), that combo will taste heavenly. 

In a country with an impressive drinking record, everyone grasped the reference immediately and the song was a hit. It was relatable, and somewhat ironic that an artiste who seemed as off-kilter as anything we had ever seen was suddenly relatable and acceptable to a skeptical public.

I have always been impressed by the fact that Vinka had the balls to replace Irene Ntale; Irene was actually talented, and I miss that husk to her voice that really gave her a girl-next-door vibe. Still, Vinka managed to pull it off. And Chips Nah Ketchup was when we knew she was here to stay.