Category: Entertainment

Kigali has been preparing for the arrival of the famous superstar Sean Kingston from the time PGGSS kicked off but now that time has come for him to step on Rwandan soil, tickets and burners of the star are on sale.

Jean Pierre Uwizeye, the officer in charge of advertizing Primus and Heinken brands in BRALIRWA narrated to Igihe.com that by now, preparations are in their last stages and so far everything is going as planned.

“Preparations are going on as planned and as you know he will be here on Saturday. We started erecting the dancing podium today, so better start buying tickets”

Uwizeye called upon fans of the singer to turn out in large numbers for this once in a life time concert.

“Rwandan music funs and Sean Kingston fans in general shouldn’t miss because it’s a special day Rwanda has been waiting for from May and now the moment is here,” Uwizeye narrated.

Uwizeye further reminded Rwandans that tickets are limited in such a way that whoever wishes to attend the concert should but his/her ticket early enough to not miss this tremendous day in Rwandan where the famous superstar Sean Kingston in collaboration with the most loved Rwandan superstar Tom Close will amplify the sky of Kigali.

He further reminded Rwandans that tickets are on sale at Frw1000 however, on Saturday tickets will be sold at Frw2000.

Igihe.com is pleased to remind that VIP tickets cost Frw5000, and the rest at Frw2000.

Tickets are available at the following places; Bourbon Coffee in UTC, At chez Venant on Muhima road, Nyabugogo Bus Park, Horizon Garden in UTC and Smart Wear in Kimironko

Apart from Sean Kingston, this concert will be lighted by local artists who competed in the PGGSS.

Tom Close’s event alongside Kingston was postponed due to a delayed visa that was obtained afew days to the concert this Saturday at Amahoro Stadium show. A music DVD and an audio of Tom Close will be recorded after Kigali’s performance.

Jean Pierre and Joseph Mushyoma both confirmed Tom’s Visa and say the organizers are trying their best to have talks with people in America and offer Tom the opportunity to go back with Sean Kingston and record a song.

The song was expected to be recorded immediately after being crowned in August performed live on 17thSeptember at grand concert alongside the American Superstar Kingston.

PGGSS received the prize of Frw 6 million and one year contract with Bralirwa as a Primus Beer Ambassador. Tom Close says Kingston sent him some lyrics to use in his practices and also add to his songs.

Tom Close after the concert will record the song from Beluga Heights Records based in Los Angeles based record label founded by producer J.R.Rotem. The label is known for working with top musical artists such as Rihana and Leona Lewis and discovered new acts like Sean Kingston, Jason Derulo, Iyaz.

Born to Karangwa Edward and Dukuze faith Grace, Thomas Muyombo known on stage as Tom Close, the 23 years old is the second child among three in his family and he is still single with only one of his parents still alive.

In November 2007 he recorded his first song helped by the Ben called “Mbwira”. From November up to May 2008 he was working on his First Album entitled “KUKI” which was launched on 16th May 2008 and since then he is on the international level.

After a critical injury, the 21 year old and hip hop artist Sean Kingston who is scheduled to perform for the first time in Rwanda is coming with his mother.

After crashing his watercraft into a Miami Beach bridge, Sean Kingston’s condition was even more serious according to physicians at first but his mother tried the best to be near the him.

Kingston had a concert y September 6 in America and he is expected to take flight from America on September 15 next week land in Kampala -Uganda and perform with the Ashawo star Nigeria’s Mr. Flavor as Curtain raiser.

On September 17 around 10h00 am, Kingston will be in a thousand hills as the organizers told igihe.com

Beautiful Girls, “Me love”, “Take you there”, “Why u wanna Go”, “Fire Burning”, “Face Drop”, “Letting Go known” as Durty Love, and “Eenie Meenie”, are some of the tracks Sean Kingston will sing at around 08h00 Pm.

During this concert Rwandans will take the opportunity to watch their favorite local artists like the winner of PGGSS Tom Close and other nominees, said Jean Pierre Uwizeye in charge of adverts of Primus and Heineken products.

The show will be live on RTV and your favorite number one website in Rwanda Igihe.com.

Sean Kingston (born Kisean Anderson; February 3, 1990) is a Jamaican-American singer born in Miami and later moved to Kingston Jamaica when he was six.

He pursued a music career and debuted in 2007 with the album Sean Kingston

September 10, starting at noon at the lush Roundabout at Kimihurura Park in downtown will be crazy hot with the first annual KigaliUp Music Festival.

The festival is the vision of Juno Award-winning Rwandan-Canadian artist Mighty Popo, who’s working with a team of arts industry veterans from Canada and Rwanda, voluntaries and Positive Productions.

Exclusively speaking to Popo Murigande, one of the brains behind this also a Rwandan Musician based in Canada said,“We are doing this specifically to promote Rwandan artists through music and to entertain the Rwandan youth and interact as brothers and sisters.”

KigaliUp will celebrate Africa’s deep, diverse musical traditions, including traditional music, blues, hip-hop, funk and reggae playing lively to the fans at the podium.

There will be collaborations between Rwandan, African and international artists at the scene.

Among other popular local artists are Kidumu, Kitoko, Miss Jojo, Shanel, Ibihame, Sophia Nzayisenga, Makanyaga Irangira, Kidz Voice, Mani Martin, Rafiki, King James, Urunana rw’abadatana, Natty Dread, and The Sisters will be available for the performance.

They will perform alongside regional and international artist including Congolese,French, Rwandan artist Lokua Kanza, Brooklyn, USA, Canada’s blues sensation Shakura S’Aida, Canadian/Rwandan Juno award-winning hip hop artist Shad Kabango, world music artist Popo Murigande a.k.a Mighty Popo and Burundi/Canadian artists Thierry Kijanya and Nicolas Simbananiye among others.

Like a miniature village for the weekend, KigaliUp will come live with 2 stages, a marketplace, beer garden and a family zone.

The Rwandan Music industry shall never be the same again following the acquisition and importation of international state-of-the art musical equipment into the country.

This is expected to cutdown on the painful costs incured previously while hiring Equipment from other East African countries.

In an interview with igihe.com, Theogene Nshimiyimana assures local artists not to be anxious about international standard musical instruments like Ad mark speakers, aluminum stage, stage lights…

“I like music that is why i invest in it”, says Theogene. The only person we knew was proprietor of Cadillac night club but now, Rwandans should not worry anymore.

“If a Rwandan artist has got a nice stage, can effortlessly perform better that those we call super stars,” he elaborated

In an online interview,musician Masamba Intore, told igihe.com, “this is what we desired for so long and it is of great pleasure to have fellow Rwandans value what we do”, he said.

I support what a great idea Theogene has brought, because it has been too luxurious to hire from the neighboring countries and some artists choose to perform playback.

I urge him to make it affordable for local artists in order to support music, he narrates. He further requested the fellow artists to produce local music not illegal use of western music.

Masamba urges businessmen like Bralirwa and MTN to support local artists.

I am running my music in Kigali and my vision is to value the genuine Rwandan culture through my songs after that, I tour abroad, Masamba says.

Our charge will be as normal and we need to work hand in hand with artists not being selfish and heaping blame on each other, said Nshimiyimana

Uganda’s dancehall musician Sizzaman of the popular Angela song will this Friday perform on stage at the grand Auditorium of National University of Rwanda.

speaking to Igihe.com during a phone interview, Sizzaman whose real name is Andrew Kayemba will authenticate his performance Rwanda.

He says, “I am organizing a paramount performance for Rwandans as my first time to step and perform for the Rwanda audience and I encourage all my fans to attend and witness how Ugandan and Rwandan music is linked with no speculations”.

The event organizer, Dennis Wasswa proprietor of Imbaraga internet Radio says, “Sizza is not only performing in Rwanda, he is producing a song with a young talented artist known as Dave with whom he will share the stage this Friday,” he said.

“The reason I chose Rwandan music as a Ugandan resident, is that it was just emerging compared to Ugandans’ and wanted to bring the music industry in concert and swathe the gap as neighbors whom we have alot in common.

“My vision is to uphold East African Music Industry in connection with Space and place in Butare, showbiz promoters in southern Province and hosting the after party of the show,” he said.

Space Place Butare is coordinating the event while preparing various local upcoming artists with the ambition of bringing famous international ones like Radio and weasel with Mr. Flavor, according to Hassan Chakra the proprietor.

In an interview with Muyango David aka Dave,he says he cannot lose such an occasion to prove to his fans the talent he has got.

“So far I have produced 2 songs one with Cizzaman called ‘Umwamikazi’ and I call on all my fans to come and support me on such a great event,” Dave emphases.

For the past seven months, the National University of Rwanda did not have a consistent show apart from Primus Guma Guma Superstar which pulled crowds from all corners.

Sizzaman has six hit songs so far including, Angella and Tax Money featuring Godlyfey.

A young gifted producer and the holder of future records studio, David Tuyishimire plans to study in California in order to broaden his production profession.

In an exclusive interview with Igihe.com, Tuyishimire says he is still single and never declares his age to media.

He was born on 7th of July from King Faycal hospital, has got three brothers and one sister with two orphans that he takes care of due to Rwanda Tutsi Genocide that demised his parents and other relatives, he told reporter.

In 2005, he passed production trainings from Kenya and this changed his life when he managed to buy 2 Pianos, sound card, studio microphone, mixer, speakers, computer and microphones. This encouraged him to set up his own studio known as “Future records,” he says..

David says is overzealous with pride that he managed to accomplish a lot at his age, the reason he doesn’t worry much on his little knowledge of foreign languages like English and Swahili because he says the sky is the limit of his professional ambitions.

“I like to produce Hip hop, RnB and Dancehall but when I hung-out in clubs with friends, I have a preference to dance Zouk and slow jams,” he says.

With reference to people who inspired him, to carry out the music career is Justine Timberland but he does not deem him as a role model because President Paul Kagame’s leadership comes foremost.

Being asked how he would portray himself, David told Igihe that, he is single with no girl friend, weighs between 65-70 Kg and is 1.80m, he is black eyed.” I am a humble boy full of respect and sociable” he narrated.

“If I could do anything different for my family, I would enable my brothers and sisters to acquire quality Educational background”he said.

Barbara Panther is a Belgian performing artist with roots in Rwanda but musical style that can only fairly be described as a smorgasbord of different influences that range from pop and jazz-funk to Latin and African beats though she refuses to confine herself to a single sound.

Born in Rwanda, Barbara left for Belgium during the 1994 genocide and has never settled since. Her nomadic lifestyle has taken to Vienna where she spent a year in a dance school and to Berlin where she was attracted by the unique electronic music.

“I believe that if you don’t grow mentally in a place anymore it is time to move,” she is reported to have said in an interview with thequietus.com.

Barbara’s artistry transcends music and singing. She describes herself as a “free spirit” feels like she “took the risk to be free, which is not something many people dare to do.”

Her free-spiritedness releases her from the harnesses of religion and the bondage of a specified lifestyle.

Her self-titled debut LP features a mixture of completely different sounds which all come together to fit perfectly. The sounds are completely liberated from the expected norm of syntax and convention.

“I don’t have this systematic thing of ‘this belongs here and this is the way you speak’. I believe that I have the freedom to find my own words. If for me it makes sense and it sounds good to my soul,that is the way it’s going to be,” she said in an interview with The Guardian.

Barbara Panther’s creative instinct can be seen in her videos Empire and Moonlight people in which she captivates the viewer’s attention with a concoction of creative genius experimentation accompanying an equally intoxicating melody.

She has also worked with the talented producer Matthew Herbert on her album.

The Rwandan history of genocide plays a role in the influences of Barbara Panther and a subject of the themes in her album. These influences along with the combination of experiences in her life are subtly expressed because of her desire to “take something on which is universal in my lyrics and everybody can understand and relate to.”

While each of her songs is unique and has a special message, recurring themes are those of evolution of the poor to overcome the rich and her longing for mental freedom for everyone who is still oppressed by convention, religion and enchanted lifestyle.

To know more about Barbara Panther news, music, and philosophies please visit: www.barabarapanther.com

By: Andrew Kareba

Alpha Rwirangira yesterday arrived at Kigali International Airport after being crowned as tusker all stars where he attracted a huge crowd of fans a fact that explains his emerging as one of the winners in Nairobi.

After a great night of performances, Alpha came first followed by Davis Ntare from Uganda and Peter Msechu from Tanzania.

The mesmerized artist joined his fans in Rwanda where the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture organized a home coming party for Alpha.

During the performances, Alpha performed ‘Songa Mbele’ a song he featured the Tanzanian artiste AY, while Msechu performed a song entitled “Relax”.
According to the judges, Uganda’s Caroline’s Swahili song “poza” was ranked as the best of the night but this could not stop Alpha to be crowned.

The winners will perform alongside international musicians Usher Raymond and Keri Hilson at the “Tusker All Stars Concert” to take place at Carnivore Grounds on August 20, in Nairobi.

Rwirangira refuted Claims some days back by some journalists that he refused to participate in the East African Music Awards (EMAs), because he did not want to be recognized as a Rwandan artiste – but instead a Tanzanian.

Alpha said that They were trying to get him down and damage his reputation.

Alpha Rwirangira, born in 1986 in Mwanza, Tanzania to a Rwandan Father and Tanzanian Mother, has more than 10 tracks so far and an album entitled “One Africa”.

He was among the contestants who were selected per their popularity and career during and after their stints at Tusker Project Fame.

Rwirangira was the winner of TPF3