Irene Lubwama, Gospel’s All-Rounder
She knew she had a sugary voice. Consequently, she took to leading praise and worship sessions in her church, Power Centre, in Entebbe.
By Sebidde Kiryowa
She knew she had a sugary voice. Consequently, she took to leading praise and worship sessions in her church, Power Centre, in Entebbe. At this point, using her savoury vocals to glorify the Almighty was all that mattered. That was back in 1996. But you cannot keep a good voice down. Soon, the rest of the world would be hankering for a piece of that sound.
That is exactly what happened in 1999, when 26-year-old Irene Lubwama, a budding gospel singer with a vibrant album in hand, ventured out of Power Centre Church for the first time. Irene is an all-around Gospel singer who performs everything from reggae, ragga, local pop and Mbagangua to urban sounds. The world instantaneously acknowledged what a treasure she was. Years of honing her musical and vocal talents in the confines of their church, thanks to her musical director, manager and husband Stephen Lubwama, had turned her into a shimmering gem.
That was the year Power Centre Church acquired musical equipment. This provided the long-awaited impetus and inspiration for Irene to blend vocal and acoustic sound and make music.
But she was not to do it all alone. She enlisted the help of six back-up members including Stephen, under the collective name of The Destined. Irene’s performances inspired and touched so many a Christian that invitations for her to perform in different churches soon began pouring in. Soon, it was off across borders.
“We embarked on musical tours before we even recorded one song. It was amazing. We played live to audiences from Kampala to Busia and crossed borders to Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda,†said Stephen.
But the more the tours came, the greater the pressure to record became. “People kept pestering us to produce the album,†Irene said.
With help from Pastor Godfrey Mukasa of Makindye Christian Fellowship and funds raised from their performances, they went to True Vine Studio on Market Street In Kampala. They enlisted the help of producer Jackson Kiwanuka and He Is Alive, Irene Lubwama’s 10-track jam-packed debut album was born. It was launched in December last year at Power Centre Church in Entebbe with Stephen Kabuye, the mayor of Entebbe, as the chief guest.
Today, He Is Alive has also garnered a lot of airplay on Kampala’s Christian stations.
Overall, the album is a quite satisfactory offering for a debut album. But, it is one of those albums whose survival is hinged more on its versatility than its artistry per say. Irene’s voice also distinguishes the album from the rest. Whether the production leaves a lot to desire, as is the case on many of the songs, Irene’s supple and invigorating voice stills hovers over the music like an spicy appetiser over bad cooking.
The opening Always Trust, borrows from the South African sounds of eighties while songs like Mujje, a Luganda call on sinners to seek refuge in Christ, and King Of Kings, a declaration of Christ’s greatness are slamming dance tracks. Our Father and God From Heaven are done in typically local praise and worship style while she slows the tempo and gets spiritual on I was Lost.
Ends
She knew she had a sugary voice. Consequently, she took to leading praise and worship sessions in her church, Power Centre, in Entebbe. At this point, using her savoury vocals to glorify the Almighty was all that mattered. That was back in 1996. But you cannot keep a good voice down. Soon, the rest of the world would be hankering for a piece of that sound.
That is exactly what happened in 1999, when 26-year-old Irene Lubwama, a budding gospel singer with a vibrant album in hand, ventured out of Power Centre Church for the first time. Irene is an all-around Gospel singer who performs everything from reggae, ragga, local pop and Mbagangua to urban sounds. The world instantaneously acknowledged what a treasure she was. Years of honing her musical and vocal talents in the confines of their church, thanks to her musical director, manager and husband Stephen Lubwama, had turned her into a shimmering gem.
That was the year Power Centre Church acquired musical equipment. This provided the long-awaited impetus and inspiration for Irene to blend vocal and acoustic sound and make music.
But she was not to do it all alone. She enlisted the help of six back-up members including Stephen, under the collective name of The Destined. Irene’s performances inspired and touched so many a Christian that invitations for her to perform in different churches soon began pouring in. Soon, it was off across borders.
“We embarked on musical tours before we even recorded one song. It was amazing. We played live to audiences from Kampala to Busia and crossed borders to Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda,†said Stephen.
But the more the tours came, the greater the pressure to record became. “People kept pestering us to produce the album,†Irene said.
With help from Pastor Godfrey Mukasa of Makindye Christian Fellowship and funds raised from their performances, they went to True Vine Studio on Market Street In Kampala. They enlisted the help of producer Jackson Kiwanuka and He Is Alive, Irene Lubwama’s 10-track jam-packed debut album was born. It was launched in December last year at Power Centre Church in Entebbe with Stephen Kabuye, the mayor of Entebbe, as the chief guest.
Today, He Is Alive has also garnered a lot of airplay on Kampala’s Christian stations.
Overall, the album is a quite satisfactory offering for a debut album. But, it is one of those albums whose survival is hinged more on its versatility than its artistry per say. Irene’s voice also distinguishes the album from the rest. Whether the production leaves a lot to desire, as is the case on many of the songs, Irene’s supple and invigorating voice stills hovers over the music like an spicy appetiser over bad cooking.
The opening Always Trust, borrows from the South African sounds of eighties while songs like Mujje, a Luganda call on sinners to seek refuge in Christ, and King Of Kings, a declaration of Christ’s greatness are slamming dance tracks. Our Father and God From Heaven are done in typically local praise and worship style while she slows the tempo and gets spiritual on I was Lost.
Ends