Profile: Apio Moro, The queen of Afro-pop?

At 27 years, Apio Moro is that girl causing a stir at the music scene for her impressive stage presence and authenticity.

She first shot at stardom in 2015 when she took part in Urban TV' s Coca Cola Rated Next in 2015.

She was this little University girl who came to the competition and wowed judges with her spectacular voice. She, however, did not get far in the competition. Her performance was affected by her limited knowledge of Luganda.

The challenge was that they chose songs for them to sing, and many of them were Luganda songs which put her at a disadvantage.

Who is Apio Moro?

Apio is a Jopadhola, born and raised in Tororo. She has been writing and singing Afro-soul music for close to seven years, favouring her mother tongue and English. 

Apio says people advise her to quit singing in Jopadhola and opt for Luganda, but she is not about to change her direction since some people appreciate it. 

Her fan base has been growing steadily over the years. She has been invited to sing at stages like Bayimba Festival, Blankets and Wines, Fete De La Music (World Music Day) and other big stages outside Uganda. 

She has collaborated with the multi-Grammy award winner, Joss Stone, during her Uganda stop of the Joss Stone Total world tour on one of her songs dubbed Pariye.

On stage, she sings with her acoustic guitar. Apio calls the guitar her best friend and it's something she can't live without.

 
Apio has slowed her progress since she has been on and off relationship with music because she sometimes feels like things are not working, which forces her to take a step back, and returning to make it happen.

Her other challenges are finances and a slow rate of acceptance. She has over 16 songs but is unable to shoot music videos for them all. She hopes to make it big someday. 

On many occasions, Apio can be seen on boda bodas, wearing a hood. Her music has put her into the limelight, but she lacks the money to live like the star she is becoming.

Her music plays in the houses of the rich but that's only how far her music has taken her. She hopes that in the future, she will make the money that she has always wanted to make. That might be in five or ten years.

Apio Moro's gradual journey in the music industry?

Apio's first time on stage was when she after Apio Moro performed at Coca Cola Rated Next, a talent search contest in 2015. Sima Sabiti, Benon Mugumbya and Sharpe Ssewali were the three judges. She is proud to say that her exceptional voice amused all the judges. 

She, however ever obtained a thing in the competition. Her performance was affected by her limited knowledge of Luganda. This is because Luganda songs were chosen for them to sing and this gave her a challenge.

Benon terms Apio a talented and always unique singer. For this reason, he almost signed her to his Swangz avenue music label.

The label recorded a few demos before the contest was finished, which, he says still sounded amazing. To Benon, Apio has been unique, that is something he terms very important in the music business.

Her love life

Most of Apio's songs are inspired by her own personal experiences. Apio is a storyteller whose music is relatable. She sings about the things we all go through and one of them being her love life and addiction to alcohol.

In one of her songs entitled, Obia, she sings about her ex-boyfriend, sending a warning to his new catch that men are greedy. She said that this boyfriend would use her and jump to another girl.

"I wrote that song from a point of anger. She had just broken up with her ex-boyfriend. What hurt her most is that he had moved on before she did.