Titi croons like Madonna

By Elvis Basudde Tendo Tabel a.k.a. Titi, otherwise nicknamed Madonna is a new singing sensation in Uganda. Titi's breakthrough has been far too long in coming. She is called Madonna because she sings like Madonna and often mimes her songs. Her kind of vocal range and expression makes an immediate and lasting impression on all manners of different audiences. Appearance can be misleading. There is nothing to suggest that Titi can be such a promising musician. Unless you have seen her perform on stage, you would not know that this is a woman intent on becoming a music star. She traces her inspiration and skills to the late Tonny Sengo. Titi says Sengo lured her into the world of music and took the trouble to train her. "I started with him. He actually made me– musically speaking. He taught me everything about pop music and even how to hold a microphone,"she recalls. Although she was already wooing audiences with songs and drama in primary and secondary at Kampala Parents and Ndejje SSS respectively, she started her music career in 1996. She wrote Abaana abasoma, her first song, in S6 at Taibah High School. "When I joined Sengo's Badindaz Band, my parents protested. They did not want me to get involved in music. My mother actually said that I was spoilt," she recalls. Titi says there is a tendency for people not to respect women on stage. They think they are sluts "It is a misconception. People should stop such ideas," she says. Titi's love for music was so overwhelming that she persisted despite her parents' protest. "When she sings Madonna's Don't Cry for Me Argentina, people line up and applaud her with money donations," says Kamukama, proprietor of KADS band. "The song reminds me of my love that went sour. My boyfriend and I loved that song and used to listen to it often," she says. Most of Titi's songs are thematic. Nesige Ani? (whom should I trust?), currently on Kampala's charts, the song describes the devastating effects of insincere relationships. "I trusted my man but what he did made me lose trust in men. They come in different colours with sweet words but later prove untrustworthy," she says. Titi was born to Saul and Zaali Luyimbya in 1977. She is the second last child of eight. She wants to develop her music talent and become internationally known like Madonna. Her father, however, insists she should not go on with music, and he means it. He has enrolled her for an accounting course. Titi says that although she is taking the classes, she will continue with her music career because that is where her heart is. Ends