The price of fame
Image is everything in showbiz. This is why, right from the clothes and shoes they wear to the cars they drive, Ugandan musicians are struggling to live an extraordinary lifestyle just to sell their image. But even when that image has been acquired, artistes must go through a lot of pain to maintain
By Raphael Okello
Image is everything in showbiz. This is why, right from the clothes and shoes they wear to the cars they drive, Ugandan musicians are struggling to live an extraordinary lifestyle just to sell their image. But even when that image has been acquired, artistes must go through a lot of pain to maintain it.
If you ask any of them, every Ugandan musician’s dream is to own a car –– not just any car –– musicians are under pressure to drive the most expensive and flashiest cars.
Peter Miles, a local dancehall sensation, confirms this assertion: “Every recognised artiste is competing with the other.â€
Miles declines to mention names, b
ut it is clear the discordant trinity of Bobi Wine, Jose Chameleone and Bebe Cool are rivalling one another.
When Chameleone chose to etch his BMW convertible car (worth sh40m) with a “Chameleo†customised registration plate, Bobi Wine did not let such flamboyance go unchallenged. He bought a Ford and slammed a screaming “FIRE†registration plate on it. Bebe Cool who had been itching to join in the foray finally did when he purchased a Range Rover (worth about sh55m) and threw in a cynical registration plate “Baffuddeâ€.
Granted, they indeed buy expensive cars so as to appear classy, often exaggerate their car prices from anywhere between sh40m and 90m. At least we know that they each spend about sh3m to acquire customised registration plates.
Ragga Dee, a local artiste, voted Best Ragga artist in the 2006 PAM awards, boasts of having a gallery of expensive vehicles –– a Touareg Volkswagen (sh40m), BMW convertible, a Mercedes Benz, a Golf worth sh20m and a Cross-country Benz.
Ragga Dee, who always plays music at full blast while driving, often brags about not driving relatively cheap and common cars, “I do not drive Japanese cars,†he says.
He also drives a Yellow Hummer H2, which belongs to his friend Yunusu Sengo, a businessman and music promoter. Reliable sources say Bobi cannot stand seeing Ragga Dee in it. He wants to buy it! It reportedly costs sh280m.
Artistes are constantly re-inventing their identity or creating fictional characters to steady up to their high-flying image or to eclipse rival artistes. Chameleone’s horse, brought in from Southern Sudan is worth about sh10m. He only uses it to mount the stage during concerts!
On the other hand, Bebe Cool, the Best Reggae artist at the Pearl of Africa Music Awards 2006, has moulded a signature stage presence of splashing out money (sh1,000 notes) to his fans during concerts. He knows only a rival musician with the courage of a prostitute can dare imitate. “Even if they decide to offer more money, people would say they are copying me,†Cool told friends.
As a sheer fashion statement, Cool has maintained a spiky dread-locked hairstyle and occasionally tints his beard (which does not make him look so nice). Loketo Lee and Chameleone have also tinted their hair.
Benon Mugumbya (co-singer of Nsazewo with Vamposs), believes if he were to also wear a “crazy†hairstyle, he would do it for the same reason –– “to standout and not because I love the hairstyleâ€.
By nature, society differentiates celebrities by their image –– we scrutinise what they wear and eat, the cars they drive or how they walk and where they hang out. Artistes have to either endure public humiliation or incur very high costs in trying to keep up. Those without cars suffer the most.
P
riscilla Kalibbala of the Guminkiriza fame, always hires a cab whenever she is travelling.
“I never use taxis or boda boda,†she says.
Kalibbala admits it is costly and sometimes she feels like going back to “my normal life of using boda bodas and taxis.†In fact, she spent sh25,000 moving from town to The New Vision and then to Steak Out where we did an interview. On average, she spends about sh45,000 a day on transport alone. But she has an explanation for her excessive transport expenditure.
“When you are a star, you have to live like one. You have to maintain an image worthy of your status. If you guys (the press) see me on a boda boda or in a taxi, you will eat me alive,†says Kalibbala, who has two wardrobes full of clothes, mostly imported from Canada.
“Why doesn’t she just live her life?†someone who recently learned of Kalibbala’s habits scorned. But the world has few ‘good sensible’ people who think celebrities like Kalibbala should live normal simple lives.
In fact, a number of artistes will testify that the press and public conspire to hound anyone of them who tries to live normally. When Cinderella Sanyu of BLU*3 paraded her sisters along the road to struggle for a taxi after the Mafikizolo concert at Kyadondo Rugby grounds, she attracted the attention of photojournalists. Luckily, they rushed into a taxi before pictures were taken.
Unfortunate not to share in the same luck, Mugumbya was “put in the hot seat†by a passenger who demanded to know why he was seated next to him in a taxi.
“One time a passenger asked me what I was doing in a taxi. I replied that it was for the same reason as he was –– getting to know the feel of using a taxi. But it was an embarrassing moment,†recalls Mugumbya, who is caving in to public pressure despite attempts to live his life “comfortablyâ€
“At times I feel like they (public) are right to think I should be driving. And I am saving some good money to buy a car.â€
Before purchasing a van, the Obsessions music and dance group realised that part of the key for a celebrity to stay alluring to the public is keeping his/her distance. And indeed they tried to do so. It is believed they had an unwritten code of conduct that threw them into an intriguing cat and mouse game with the public. None of the group members was to be seen using a taxi or, worse still, be seen leaping on a boda boda. After their performances, they were to stealthily disappear.
Cleopatra, one of the dancers, tried to hide her face under the veil, while on a boda boda, but the peculiar teddy bear tattoo etched at the base of her back gave her away. Her fans noticed and questioned her status.
Why all the fuss? It is not just about the pressure to keep up to celebrity status or the need to keep away from the public. Moses Serwadda aka Sweet Kid will confess that a celebrity must create an image that endears him or her to the public or else risk being ridiculed and loosing his or her fan base.
“Before buying my car (an FX GT car), people looked down on me for using boda bodas or taxis. I needed to show my fans that I am that person they expect me to be.â€
Because the youth search for a new image among celebrities, artistes must be able to portray that image even if it takes folly and outlandish fashion excesses. Bobi is said to have purchased silver chains, bracelets and jewellery worth sh20m. It is now fashionable for male artistes to wear expensive chains. The youth have followed suit.
Ronnie Mulindwa, the Obsession’s managing director, refuses to disclose how much the group spends on image, but says top local designers like Sylvia Owori, dress them.
“The girls are very expensive to dress –– from clothes and shoes to grooming (which they do at Lords and Ladies). They must keep a certain image. Many times when they try to get casual and ordinary, they get rude remarks,†says Mulindwa.
On his frequent travels abroad, Steve Jean, the manager and producer of BLU*3, makes sure he buys clothes for the girls. “I know they spend quite a lot on clothes, but I buy them clothes when I travel. Image is very important so I advise them to have everything in order before they leave the house. They must watch where they hang out, their hair and clothes they wear,†says Steve.
As soon as he stepped into the limelight, Sweet Kid stopped eating katogo from low-market restaurants and shopping from Owino Market. He goes to expensive restaurants and boutiques, where he spends four times more than before.
“I miss those places, but you have to wear expensive clothes and have expensive things. Sadly, in Uganda, we have to fight so hard to maintain the celebrity status,†he confesses.
“Man, that is all about showbiz. The flashier the picture you give to society, the more mysterious and intriguing you become. If I came here wearing gold chains and driving a new BMW, people would treat me with much respect,†comments Mugumbya.
Although singer Angela Katatumba does not believe that someone has to empty their pockets to live a certain lifestyle, she believes that “as a celebrity, you are owned by the public whether you like it or not.â€
Image is everything in showbiz. This is why, right from the clothes and shoes they wear to the cars they drive, Ugandan musicians are struggling to live an extraordinary lifestyle just to sell their image. But even when that image has been acquired, artistes must go through a lot of pain to maintain it.
If you ask any of them, every Ugandan musician’s dream is to own a car –– not just any car –– musicians are under pressure to drive the most expensive and flashiest cars.
Peter Miles, a local dancehall sensation, confirms this assertion: “Every recognised artiste is competing with the other.â€
Miles declines to mention names, b
ut it is clear the discordant trinity of Bobi Wine, Jose Chameleone and Bebe Cool are rivalling one another.
When Chameleone chose to etch his BMW convertible car (worth sh40m) with a “Chameleo†customised registration plate, Bobi Wine did not let such flamboyance go unchallenged. He bought a Ford and slammed a screaming “FIRE†registration plate on it. Bebe Cool who had been itching to join in the foray finally did when he purchased a Range Rover (worth about sh55m) and threw in a cynical registration plate “Baffuddeâ€.
Granted, they indeed buy expensive cars so as to appear classy, often exaggerate their car prices from anywhere between sh40m and 90m. At least we know that they each spend about sh3m to acquire customised registration plates.
Ragga Dee, a local artiste, voted Best Ragga artist in the 2006 PAM awards, boasts of having a gallery of expensive vehicles –– a Touareg Volkswagen (sh40m), BMW convertible, a Mercedes Benz, a Golf worth sh20m and a Cross-country Benz.
Ragga Dee, who always plays music at full blast while driving, often brags about not driving relatively cheap and common cars, “I do not drive Japanese cars,†he says.
He also drives a Yellow Hummer H2, which belongs to his friend Yunusu Sengo, a businessman and music promoter. Reliable sources say Bobi cannot stand seeing Ragga Dee in it. He wants to buy it! It reportedly costs sh280m.
Artistes are constantly re-inventing their identity or creating fictional characters to steady up to their high-flying image or to eclipse rival artistes. Chameleone’s horse, brought in from Southern Sudan is worth about sh10m. He only uses it to mount the stage during concerts!
On the other hand, Bebe Cool, the Best Reggae artist at the Pearl of Africa Music Awards 2006, has moulded a signature stage presence of splashing out money (sh1,000 notes) to his fans during concerts. He knows only a rival musician with the courage of a prostitute can dare imitate. “Even if they decide to offer more money, people would say they are copying me,†Cool told friends.
As a sheer fashion statement, Cool has maintained a spiky dread-locked hairstyle and occasionally tints his beard (which does not make him look so nice). Loketo Lee and Chameleone have also tinted their hair.
Benon Mugumbya (co-singer of Nsazewo with Vamposs), believes if he were to also wear a “crazy†hairstyle, he would do it for the same reason –– “to standout and not because I love the hairstyleâ€.
By nature, society differentiates celebrities by their image –– we scrutinise what they wear and eat, the cars they drive or how they walk and where they hang out. Artistes have to either endure public humiliation or incur very high costs in trying to keep up. Those without cars suffer the most.
P
riscilla Kalibbala of the Guminkiriza fame, always hires a cab whenever she is travelling.
“I never use taxis or boda boda,†she says.
Kalibbala admits it is costly and sometimes she feels like going back to “my normal life of using boda bodas and taxis.†In fact, she spent sh25,000 moving from town to The New Vision and then to Steak Out where we did an interview. On average, she spends about sh45,000 a day on transport alone. But she has an explanation for her excessive transport expenditure.
“When you are a star, you have to live like one. You have to maintain an image worthy of your status. If you guys (the press) see me on a boda boda or in a taxi, you will eat me alive,†says Kalibbala, who has two wardrobes full of clothes, mostly imported from Canada.
“Why doesn’t she just live her life?†someone who recently learned of Kalibbala’s habits scorned. But the world has few ‘good sensible’ people who think celebrities like Kalibbala should live normal simple lives.
In fact, a number of artistes will testify that the press and public conspire to hound anyone of them who tries to live normally. When Cinderella Sanyu of BLU*3 paraded her sisters along the road to struggle for a taxi after the Mafikizolo concert at Kyadondo Rugby grounds, she attracted the attention of photojournalists. Luckily, they rushed into a taxi before pictures were taken.
Unfortunate not to share in the same luck, Mugumbya was “put in the hot seat†by a passenger who demanded to know why he was seated next to him in a taxi.
“One time a passenger asked me what I was doing in a taxi. I replied that it was for the same reason as he was –– getting to know the feel of using a taxi. But it was an embarrassing moment,†recalls Mugumbya, who is caving in to public pressure despite attempts to live his life “comfortablyâ€
“At times I feel like they (public) are right to think I should be driving. And I am saving some good money to buy a car.â€
Before purchasing a van, the Obsessions music and dance group realised that part of the key for a celebrity to stay alluring to the public is keeping his/her distance. And indeed they tried to do so. It is believed they had an unwritten code of conduct that threw them into an intriguing cat and mouse game with the public. None of the group members was to be seen using a taxi or, worse still, be seen leaping on a boda boda. After their performances, they were to stealthily disappear.
Cleopatra, one of the dancers, tried to hide her face under the veil, while on a boda boda, but the peculiar teddy bear tattoo etched at the base of her back gave her away. Her fans noticed and questioned her status.
Why all the fuss? It is not just about the pressure to keep up to celebrity status or the need to keep away from the public. Moses Serwadda aka Sweet Kid will confess that a celebrity must create an image that endears him or her to the public or else risk being ridiculed and loosing his or her fan base.
“Before buying my car (an FX GT car), people looked down on me for using boda bodas or taxis. I needed to show my fans that I am that person they expect me to be.â€
Because the youth search for a new image among celebrities, artistes must be able to portray that image even if it takes folly and outlandish fashion excesses. Bobi is said to have purchased silver chains, bracelets and jewellery worth sh20m. It is now fashionable for male artistes to wear expensive chains. The youth have followed suit.
Ronnie Mulindwa, the Obsession’s managing director, refuses to disclose how much the group spends on image, but says top local designers like Sylvia Owori, dress them.
“The girls are very expensive to dress –– from clothes and shoes to grooming (which they do at Lords and Ladies). They must keep a certain image. Many times when they try to get casual and ordinary, they get rude remarks,†says Mulindwa.
On his frequent travels abroad, Steve Jean, the manager and producer of BLU*3, makes sure he buys clothes for the girls. “I know they spend quite a lot on clothes, but I buy them clothes when I travel. Image is very important so I advise them to have everything in order before they leave the house. They must watch where they hang out, their hair and clothes they wear,†says Steve.
As soon as he stepped into the limelight, Sweet Kid stopped eating katogo from low-market restaurants and shopping from Owino Market. He goes to expensive restaurants and boutiques, where he spends four times more than before.
“I miss those places, but you have to wear expensive clothes and have expensive things. Sadly, in Uganda, we have to fight so hard to maintain the celebrity status,†he confesses.
“Man, that is all about showbiz. The flashier the picture you give to society, the more mysterious and intriguing you become. If I came here wearing gold chains and driving a new BMW, people would treat me with much respect,†comments Mugumbya.
Although singer Angela Katatumba does not believe that someone has to empty their pockets to live a certain lifestyle, she believes that “as a celebrity, you are owned by the public whether you like it or not.â€