Abby Mpungu: The songs I write are very telling

Oct 28, 2014

For starters, Abby, 37, is a prominent songwriter who is behind most of the hit songs by local musicians in Uganda and spends most of his time talking to different people.


By Glorias Musiime

Whenever I ease into the Audio One studio which is owned by senior producer Paddyman, I am always sure to find Abby Mpungu singing to himself, his recorder tucked inside his shirt pocket. And my greeting is no doubt intrusive as he is often times forced to reply with a nod, of course as if not wanting his lines to disappear if he dared talked.
 
For starters, Abby, 37, is a prominent songwriter who is behind most of the hit songs by local musicians in Uganda.
 
He spends most of his time talking to different people because it is through these conversations that he gets ideas for his songs. Most of his songs focus on real-life experiences and being a church minister and counselor, it has helped him write songs that melt the hearts and souls of people. He tells me more about his career. .  .
 
Who is Abby Mpungu?
 
I was born in Mengo, Kampala in 1977 and was raised by my mother, the late Betty Nakidde. My life was not that which any parent would wish for her son especially that my mother was a single parent. I suffered a lot getting to where I am today.
 
I was born into a family of five children but never got to see my father. Since I had hardly anyone to comfort me through my early life, I would often sit alone somewhere and start creating my own melodies. It is something that would make me feel a lot more comfortable.true
 
Back then, I would write and sing, not knowing that this would turn out to become my source of income in the future.
 
I studied no further than Advanced (A) Level, but that did not deter me from keeping my dreams alive. I did my high school at Ndejje Secondary School and that was it.
 
In 2010, I wrote a song for a 12-year-old child called Mbogo Shafiq. By then Paddy Kayiwa aka Paddyman was a producer at Firebase Studio in Kamwokya. He was the one to record the song and when he listened to it, as a producer, he loved it and told me I would be a good writer if I became serious.
 
I was taken aback to hear such advice from a producer like him so I got down to perfecting my songs and later releasing them.
 
Most of the songs I released to some of the musicians are those I had written some years back and I had never imagined I would get something out of them. Paddyman certainly opened my eyes.
 
He advised me to do Demos and him to reach the musician for market. I did what he requested me and because of him, i started immediately was so happy for his promise to market my songs since he was already in the industry.
 
I have written quite a number of songs so far.
 
They are many of them and some musicians credit me only that the criteria of writing are different.  Some come with their idea of what they want to sing while others come and ask me what I have got on my mind.
 
I wrote Irene’s Tebiba bingi, Olibaluwa, Kabiki, Julie Mutesasira’s Nga teyakutonderwa, Akuuma buNtu bulamu by Taff B, Olunaku lukulu by Jose Chameleone, Tebalulimba by Desire Luzinda, Solar by Mina, among many more.
 
I had written most of these songs way before knowing I had a true calling of music writing.
 
Normally, ideas pop up into my mind when talking to people. If someone says something interesting, I am sure to jot it down and I will never more without a recorder. So during such interactions, I usually go aside and immediately record the interesting words so that I not forget them before coming back to the conversation.
 
I can write an entire song in three minutes!
 
I explore realism in my songwriting process because people’s real-life experiences have important messages to retell through music.
 
I have developed confidence in my music writing and I trust all my songs hold meaning, for they inform, educate as well as entertain audiences.

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