It is with no doubt that Uganda is immensely gifted with creatives. Some are entertaining with drama, comedy and film while the most popular are using music.
Lately, many people have flooded the music industry. Young and old, they are all struggling to get a glimpse of the limelight. Some musicians and bands like the Afrigo, Eddy Kenzo and Sheebah Kalungi have defied the odds and managed to stay on top while others like, Zulanda, Quex and Free boy Adams, vanish from the music scene as soon as their names are written among the stars. A few however keep in and out of the studio trying to produce better songs or resort to stunts so that their name remains relevant in the books of music enthusiasts.
Quex of the kachumbali fame is not different, his song Kachumbali was popular in 2020. The song earned him 4.5 million views on YouTube and the Kachumbali name. During the time of the release, the artist was juggling music with a degree in Medicine and Surgery from Kampala International University. He graduated almost a year ago and moved to the US. Quex has tried to hold onto his career but he is still grappling.
Highlighting the reasons why some musicians fade as soon as they hit the limelight, Dembe FM’s talk and Talk show host and music critic Eddie Ssendi during a local television show said many musicians release hit songs by lack and fail to make follow up steps to upgrade their career.
He also believes that the excitement and pride that comes with a hit song shortens the musician’s career expectancy as they become hard headed.
“Usually after the success of the song, they become arrogant and fail to learn from mistakes that were made by artists who came before them. They tend to want to upgrade immediately,” he said
He instanced Phantom Lovins of ompalula song whose career dwindled after he failed to adhere to the terms his mentor Steve jeans was adopting to brand him differently.
Music critic Jenkins Mukasa argues that some musicians fade as soon as they make hit songs because they are not driven by talent and usually join the industry not prepared enough to make it through.
“Musicians who fade after one hit are those that joined the industry to enjoy the benefits that come with music like fame, money, and women but fail to sustain the career. Some don’t have the talent and don’t take the time to develop it while others have the talent but are not passionate so they don’t invest in it yet music is very expensive. They instead spend their money on pimping their looks,” he said
