Nakibuuka recognized
Oct 21, 2004
She might not have merited mention in the mainstream Pearl Of Africa Music Awards, but few will dispute the fact that singer Betty Nakibuuka commands enough
By Sebidde Kiryowa
She might not have merited mention in the mainstream Pearl Of Africa Music Awards, but few will dispute the fact that singer Betty Nakibuuka commands enough popularity in the increasingly competitive local Gospel music genre to perhaps deserve the ‘queen of Uganda Gospel music’ award.
The singer was recently voted Best Female Artiste at the highly billed inaugural TOP Radio National Music Awards held in Namboole Stadium on October 8. Beside a trophy, she also won a cash prize of sh500,000.
This was the first time Nakibuuka, whose singing career spans 13 years, was recognised with an award of any sort. She had hitherto never even been nominated for one.
This is a shame given the scale of influence this 29-year-old singer, with a stunning 11 albums stashed under her belt, wields on the local Gospel music scene.
For her current recognition, Nakibuuka has her latest album, Gwe Luyimba Lwange (Lord, you are my song) to thank. The eight-track album, released earlier this year, was launched in style and pomp at Grand Imperial Hotel’s Sasa Hall in September.
The hit, Gwe Luyimba Lwange, has enjoyed as much airplay on secular radio stations as it has on Christian radio stations this year. Other tracks that have stirred audiences include Linda Linda (wait); Kwa Yesu Kuna Wuzima and I’ll Never Be.
She also launched her maiden complete video hits collection on VHS, VCD and DVD. She is the first female artiste to achieve this.
Such high standards for a Gospel singer in an infant industry are one of the reasons the artiste, with an exceptionally silky and expressive voice, has stood out among the rest.
“Betty ensures that whatever she does in her career, she does to the highest standards. She gives her music her all,†says John Senyonjo, her husband and manager.
One local music critic wrote, “When you strip down the thick wall of sound, the gimmickry and the trend-conscious production, the true gems of Nakibuuka’s music are the compelling words which touch and comfort the soul.â€
That is a fact that Nakibuuka bears out: “My songs are testimonies about what I have been through. They are real life experiences. That creates a bond between my fans and the music because they identify with those same experiences.â€
Nakibuuka is aggressive at marketing her music. Those close to her say she cares so much about her public image because that has a direct bearing on her career as a gospel singer.
That aside, Nakibuuka’s media campaigns are clearly a step above what the average Gospel artiste in Uganda would do. She closely monitors the progress of her work. She is known to fish for feedback about the public’s response to her music in order to make a better product.
But as the tongue-in-cheek cliché goes, ‘behind every successful woman is a supportive man’. For Nakibuuka, this is her husband, a banker.
“He contributes ideas to ensure that I produce quality work. Before I met him, it was very cumbersome handling all the different aspects of my ministry, but now things are sorted out.
He manages my itinerary, sorts out my wardrobe, coordinates my rehearsals and does all the running around to book shows and pick me up after rehearsals and shows, no matter how late,†Nakibuuka says of Senyonjo.
The two, who met and got married in 1999, have a three-year-old daughter, Gloria, who has already shown a keen interest in singing. At her tender age, she has already released a video for her maiden song Mummy Mummy.
Nakibuuka has chosen to put her earnings to positive use. She built a house for her mother in Najjanakumbi, Kampala.
She is also looking after her mother’s family of seven besides hordes of orphaned nieces and nephews. She also pays school fees for a few needy children from brethren in church .
On top of all this, she has something left for personal development. She and her husband have built themselves a home in Mutundwe Parish, Nyanama.
It is not surprising that at what would seem the pinnacle of her local singing career, Nakibuuka has started garnering international attention. She will be leaving for Sweden soon from where she is slated to head over to the US.
Yet things are not always rosy for her. “As Gospel singers, we put the same amount of effort in our careers as do the secular artistes.
We invest in good producers for quality sounds yet distributors don’t take us seriously.
For us (Gospel singers), it has always been a personal struggle to promote and sell our music,†she says.
She also alludes to inadequate support from the corporate world as crippling to Gospel singers yet Christian music consumers too have a good purchasing power.
And where does she go from here? “I want to use my talent to help disadvantaged children now that God is opening international doors for me,â€
Citing influences from Jim Reeves, Jimmy Katumba and Lucky Dube, Nakibuuka says her teachers noticed her remarkable alto voice while she was in P3 but it was not until she got saved and joined the choir at 16 that her career kicked off.
She credits the church for imparting Godly values in her and rightfully so because, “I got married a virgin!â€
Nakibuuka was born to Rose Nakaketo and John Kibuuka (R.I.P) in Kiwenda, Namulonge near Gayaza.
She might not have merited mention in the mainstream Pearl Of Africa Music Awards, but few will dispute the fact that singer Betty Nakibuuka commands enough popularity in the increasingly competitive local Gospel music genre to perhaps deserve the ‘queen of Uganda Gospel music’ award.
The singer was recently voted Best Female Artiste at the highly billed inaugural TOP Radio National Music Awards held in Namboole Stadium on October 8. Beside a trophy, she also won a cash prize of sh500,000.
This was the first time Nakibuuka, whose singing career spans 13 years, was recognised with an award of any sort. She had hitherto never even been nominated for one.
This is a shame given the scale of influence this 29-year-old singer, with a stunning 11 albums stashed under her belt, wields on the local Gospel music scene.
For her current recognition, Nakibuuka has her latest album, Gwe Luyimba Lwange (Lord, you are my song) to thank. The eight-track album, released earlier this year, was launched in style and pomp at Grand Imperial Hotel’s Sasa Hall in September.
The hit, Gwe Luyimba Lwange, has enjoyed as much airplay on secular radio stations as it has on Christian radio stations this year. Other tracks that have stirred audiences include Linda Linda (wait); Kwa Yesu Kuna Wuzima and I’ll Never Be.
She also launched her maiden complete video hits collection on VHS, VCD and DVD. She is the first female artiste to achieve this.
Such high standards for a Gospel singer in an infant industry are one of the reasons the artiste, with an exceptionally silky and expressive voice, has stood out among the rest.
“Betty ensures that whatever she does in her career, she does to the highest standards. She gives her music her all,†says John Senyonjo, her husband and manager.
One local music critic wrote, “When you strip down the thick wall of sound, the gimmickry and the trend-conscious production, the true gems of Nakibuuka’s music are the compelling words which touch and comfort the soul.â€
That is a fact that Nakibuuka bears out: “My songs are testimonies about what I have been through. They are real life experiences. That creates a bond between my fans and the music because they identify with those same experiences.â€
Nakibuuka is aggressive at marketing her music. Those close to her say she cares so much about her public image because that has a direct bearing on her career as a gospel singer.
That aside, Nakibuuka’s media campaigns are clearly a step above what the average Gospel artiste in Uganda would do. She closely monitors the progress of her work. She is known to fish for feedback about the public’s response to her music in order to make a better product.
But as the tongue-in-cheek cliché goes, ‘behind every successful woman is a supportive man’. For Nakibuuka, this is her husband, a banker.
“He contributes ideas to ensure that I produce quality work. Before I met him, it was very cumbersome handling all the different aspects of my ministry, but now things are sorted out.
He manages my itinerary, sorts out my wardrobe, coordinates my rehearsals and does all the running around to book shows and pick me up after rehearsals and shows, no matter how late,†Nakibuuka says of Senyonjo.
The two, who met and got married in 1999, have a three-year-old daughter, Gloria, who has already shown a keen interest in singing. At her tender age, she has already released a video for her maiden song Mummy Mummy.
Nakibuuka has chosen to put her earnings to positive use. She built a house for her mother in Najjanakumbi, Kampala.
She is also looking after her mother’s family of seven besides hordes of orphaned nieces and nephews. She also pays school fees for a few needy children from brethren in church .
On top of all this, she has something left for personal development. She and her husband have built themselves a home in Mutundwe Parish, Nyanama.
It is not surprising that at what would seem the pinnacle of her local singing career, Nakibuuka has started garnering international attention. She will be leaving for Sweden soon from where she is slated to head over to the US.
Yet things are not always rosy for her. “As Gospel singers, we put the same amount of effort in our careers as do the secular artistes.
We invest in good producers for quality sounds yet distributors don’t take us seriously.
For us (Gospel singers), it has always been a personal struggle to promote and sell our music,†she says.
She also alludes to inadequate support from the corporate world as crippling to Gospel singers yet Christian music consumers too have a good purchasing power.
And where does she go from here? “I want to use my talent to help disadvantaged children now that God is opening international doors for me,â€
Citing influences from Jim Reeves, Jimmy Katumba and Lucky Dube, Nakibuuka says her teachers noticed her remarkable alto voice while she was in P3 but it was not until she got saved and joined the choir at 16 that her career kicked off.
She credits the church for imparting Godly values in her and rightfully so because, “I got married a virgin!â€
Nakibuuka was born to Rose Nakaketo and John Kibuuka (R.I.P) in Kiwenda, Namulonge near Gayaza.