We are counting days since the entire Ugandan economy was fully opened on January 24th. The re-opening saw the entertainment industry come back to life after it was shut for a period of close to two years due to the deadly Corona Virus pandemic. Ugandans are known to be naturally happy people and to many, you would rather give them a party and not anything else.
In that same spirit upon re-opening, many promoters and event organizers straight away announced their events that were to start right away. This came with booking artists that were meant to turn it up at these very events. Many artists spent the lockdown season cooking for their fans while others were already serving them with music projects. Today in our Friday Lists series, we bring you the TOP 5 most booked artists in Uganda today with justifications to it. Enjoy the read as you prepare to enjoy your weekend!
AFRIGO BAND
It is the country’s longest serving band and has never lost out its credentials on music capability. It also hogs a steady 40-plus years audience. Today, Afrigo band is the most booked amongst Ugandan artists and this echoes a very important question, What is the new generation of artists not doing right to own the biggest bookings? Yes, they saw old is Gold but much of the revelers today are a much younger audience that would get accustomed to their generation artists but that’s not the case, Afrigo Band lately attracts younger fans. Upon re-opening, Afrigo Band took full advantage staging three shows in three nights. Friday, January 28, Uganda’s oldest band had raised the roof of Club Guvnor and later on Saturday at Obligato before treating partiers to some of their classics at a one resort off Mityana road.
Prior to the start of the new year, they thrilled fans at the Kampala Sheraton hotel in a mega end of year VIP party. In the previous weeks the band has filled up venues to full capacity wherever it performed and the big deal is that their shows are pretty expensive but they manage to pull crowds. They have various bookings lined up for Valentines day next week and will crown up the month with their Leka Tukiggule concert at Hotel Africana on 19th February and another one at Levels Lounge dubbed The La Branch Sunday on Sunday 26th February.
AZAWI
Singer, Priscilla Zawedde alias Azawi is cementing her position as the queen of Ugandan Afrobeat and Reggae. She had a great 2021 where she made big moves releasing her well-received Album titled ‘African Music’. She won most of the 2021 Uganda awards in different categories. Never in Uganda’s music history has there been a young artist break rules soo fast and surpass established artistes and clinch the top spot in the industry like Azawi has done. If anything, 2022 is set to be the year Azawi really explodes out with fans having more of her on stage, something they missed since her debut in the industry. With only one song Quinamino out, the entertainment industry was closed with no events and physical performances in March 2020 something that saw Azawi fail to reach out to her massive fanbase on stage for close to two years.
Azawi kept doing great music and upon the entire economy re-opening, its self explanatory that she got a spot among the most booked artists simply because her fans have only chanced to her songs but not seen her perform them. Azawi has performed on various events since physical events were given a go ahead, she recently held a couple of concerts in Northern Uganda that registered a great success. She is also among the most booked artists for the forthcoming Valentines day come next week.
GRAVITY OMUTUJJU
Gravity Omutujju is that one artist with a lot of energy when performing something that makes him different from many others. When he steps on stage, he leaves no stone unturned. What brings Gravity on this list today is his current top hit song Tusimbudde. He is credited for having the number one hit at the moment that has been released his same year unlike the rest that crossed over from last year to 2022. Tusimbudde was written, sang, produced and released in 2022. The spices he added into the songs video like the chorography dancers who he performs with on stage make him nail any show to the fullest. For Gravity, it must have been timing and position, he released the song shortly after President Museveni had announced the full re-opening of the economy that was effective by January 24th.
By the time the entertainment industry was opened, it was the only relatable song that matched the current state of people kickstarting the old normal. Gravity has performed at every corner of this country with this song being his main performance and he has shut down the audience everywhere he has performed. Since promoters always look out for that one artist to shut it down, Gravity has seemingly been their only resort hence the many bookings.
ZEX BILANJI LANJI
He is one of the fastest growing artistes in the land. His early 2020 single Ratata was a big success and now Magazine is topping charts. Singer Tadeo Mayega populary known as Zex Bilangilangi is among the very few artistes that broke out shortly before the outbreak of Covid-19 in Uganda in early 2020. Among those few, its currently him and Azawi that have kept their musical momentum till date. Its no doubt that upon full re-opening of the economy and the entertainment sector, Zex is among those most booked artists today because many people enjoyed and accepted his music but had not chanced at him perform for them physically on stage.
Zex’s other winning formula for this spot was making it a point to have a hit song by the time concerts were given a go ahead! He’s performed on quite a number of shows since concerts were opened in and out of the country. Zex is definitely among those musicians to still watch out for in 2022.
PIA POUNDS
Tracy Kirabo famously known as Pia Pounds is another surprise in the top ranks of the most booked. When she left Big Talent Music group, there was doubt if she could do it on her own. But she has proved more than capable of standing on her own and silenced her critics. Her 2020 single Tupaate that became a massive industry anthem in 2021 still ranks among the top hits in 2022 with music selectors and deejays agreeing that this lanky mega jam still ranks way above the many as a revelers favorite. Its the power that this song got that has seen Pia Pounds get booked left, right and Centre of late more so in night spots where people go out to simply party.
She kickstarted 2022 with another single titled Wuuba that’s also doing well on the airwaves and nightclubs. The best advantage Pia pounds has is that her biggest song Tupaate awakened her other past songs that had previously not done well and got appreciated by the public. When booked for performances today, she has more musical sauce to serve away from Tupaate.
