Ronnie Kavuma is back
Jan 29, 2004
THE controversy that engulfed him over the very song that brought him fame threatened to drown him
By Sebidde Kiryowa
THE controversy that engulfed him over the very song that brought him fame threatened to drown him. But Ronnie Riggs Kavuma somehow escaped it all and managed to keep his head above the water.
That was in 2001 when the mega hit song Mujune on which Kavuma rode to fame was claimed by Rwandan singer, Jean Paul Samputu, who apparently, was the original owner.
After a self-imposed three-year break, Ronnie Kavuma, 27, figured it was high time he tested the musical waters again. The singer is back on the block with a new album Mr Valentine.
Dick Productions in the old taxi park will release the album, on February 9, 2004. Kavuma says the album will be launched on February 14, but did not specify the location.
Already the title-track, a slow love melody, featuring vocalist Rita Nalwoga, is enjoying a commendable amount of airplay on radio stations in Kampala.
Shadrack Musoke of AK Communications, based at the Lugogo Showgrounds, singly produced Mr Valentine.
All the six tracks, with the exception of Still take Your Time are sung in Luganda.
But if you are looking out for a familiar sound, you are in for a shock.
In stark contrast to Mujune which was predominately zouk, Kavuma ventures into a myriad of styles ranging from easy-listening ballads to zouk, R&B and other influences with pretty good reason too.
“I have come to show Ugandans that musicians should be dynamic. Just like in western countries, musicians have to learn to diversify, to keep reinventing themselves in order not to become monotonous,†says Kavuma.
He says the album’s current style besides being inspired by the need to move away from zouk, was also inspired by the need to move away from the popular styles ushered in by the likes of singer Jose Chameleone.
“I felt that if I did what everyone else is doing, I would easily be lost in the crowd. No one would recognise me,†says Kavuma matter-of-factly.
Production wise, Mr Valentine does not turn heads. In fact, one gets the distinct feeling that Musoke could have done a better job.
But Mr Valentine, the title track, though a far cry from the sultry Afrigo Band ballads, scores in its crudeness, if not for anything, for its timely message and, well...being a ballad in Luganda!
Nakazaana, which takes on a zouk flavour with strings might not look set to depose Mujune, but it has got enough appeal to make a dance floor favourite and an instant radio hit.
Kavuma is smooth on the vocals here as he is on Wakiri, an offering that combines hip-hop, R&B and a solo guitar. But the message-laden Still take Your Time, on which Kavuma advises young people to take their time while looking for a mate, is ironically, the most wanting aesthetically. The bonus here though, is that it has a verse in Luganda.
As to whether this new formula will tag at music lovers’ heartstrings enough for them to open their hearts to him? Only time can tell.
For Kavuma however, who admits he is impressed by the developments on the scene since he had gone away, it is a foregone conclusion: “I have taken on styles that are not so crowded and I know I’ll excel. I can certainly say, I’ve made better music this time.â€
Kavuma started performing at the age of six. He played the drums in a church choir, a thing that earned him a few strokes of the cain from his disapproving father.
His dancing skills earned him the title ‘Mc Hammer’ during his ‘O’ levels at Busoga College Mwiri, while he honed his performing skills in high school at Namasagali College.
His first professionally recorded album, Rosianna, was released in his S6 vacation and gained popularity in 1999.
THE controversy that engulfed him over the very song that brought him fame threatened to drown him. But Ronnie Riggs Kavuma somehow escaped it all and managed to keep his head above the water.
That was in 2001 when the mega hit song Mujune on which Kavuma rode to fame was claimed by Rwandan singer, Jean Paul Samputu, who apparently, was the original owner.
After a self-imposed three-year break, Ronnie Kavuma, 27, figured it was high time he tested the musical waters again. The singer is back on the block with a new album Mr Valentine.
Dick Productions in the old taxi park will release the album, on February 9, 2004. Kavuma says the album will be launched on February 14, but did not specify the location.
Already the title-track, a slow love melody, featuring vocalist Rita Nalwoga, is enjoying a commendable amount of airplay on radio stations in Kampala.
Shadrack Musoke of AK Communications, based at the Lugogo Showgrounds, singly produced Mr Valentine.
All the six tracks, with the exception of Still take Your Time are sung in Luganda.
But if you are looking out for a familiar sound, you are in for a shock.
In stark contrast to Mujune which was predominately zouk, Kavuma ventures into a myriad of styles ranging from easy-listening ballads to zouk, R&B and other influences with pretty good reason too.
“I have come to show Ugandans that musicians should be dynamic. Just like in western countries, musicians have to learn to diversify, to keep reinventing themselves in order not to become monotonous,†says Kavuma.
He says the album’s current style besides being inspired by the need to move away from zouk, was also inspired by the need to move away from the popular styles ushered in by the likes of singer Jose Chameleone.
“I felt that if I did what everyone else is doing, I would easily be lost in the crowd. No one would recognise me,†says Kavuma matter-of-factly.
Production wise, Mr Valentine does not turn heads. In fact, one gets the distinct feeling that Musoke could have done a better job.
But Mr Valentine, the title track, though a far cry from the sultry Afrigo Band ballads, scores in its crudeness, if not for anything, for its timely message and, well...being a ballad in Luganda!
Nakazaana, which takes on a zouk flavour with strings might not look set to depose Mujune, but it has got enough appeal to make a dance floor favourite and an instant radio hit.
Kavuma is smooth on the vocals here as he is on Wakiri, an offering that combines hip-hop, R&B and a solo guitar. But the message-laden Still take Your Time, on which Kavuma advises young people to take their time while looking for a mate, is ironically, the most wanting aesthetically. The bonus here though, is that it has a verse in Luganda.
As to whether this new formula will tag at music lovers’ heartstrings enough for them to open their hearts to him? Only time can tell.
For Kavuma however, who admits he is impressed by the developments on the scene since he had gone away, it is a foregone conclusion: “I have taken on styles that are not so crowded and I know I’ll excel. I can certainly say, I’ve made better music this time.â€
Kavuma started performing at the age of six. He played the drums in a church choir, a thing that earned him a few strokes of the cain from his disapproving father.
His dancing skills earned him the title ‘Mc Hammer’ during his ‘O’ levels at Busoga College Mwiri, while he honed his performing skills in high school at Namasagali College.
His first professionally recorded album, Rosianna, was released in his S6 vacation and gained popularity in 1999.