
A Pass performs during his maiden concert at Kampala Serena Hotel on January 31, 2025. Photo/Isaac Ssejjombwe
More than 10 years in the industry, Wow! This concert has been long overdue. I would have held a concert back in the day, but I had given myself an ultimatum of first recording three albums. Four albums down the road, I now feel ready. I did not want to milk my fans with one or two songs. Four albums is a huge catalogue.
How did you decide which songs to include on the list for this concert?
It was so hard. My first album had 20 songs, the next album had 26 songs followed by another with 42 songs while my latest has 11 songs. I had to choose from each album. The selection was hard but we did the best we could. My performance will last more than two hours. The main thing is that we segmented the songs the best way we could.
The fans are the biggest stakeholders in everyone’s career. Did you involve them while making these selections?
I could not involve them because that would be chaotic. They are many and they want a lot of things. I will sing the famous songs that many want but I have to admit that many people will be disappointed. I can assure all my fans that this is going to be an experience. I do not want that experience to stop at my outfits and the beauty of the stage but the entire show.
Can we get a sneak peek into that curation?
It would be great to see how calmly I do things that seem to be complicated. What I will emphasise is that we invested so much in our sound with Fenon events and my sound engineer from Switzerland known as Kabu.We will use world-standard production. My stage sound engineer has been at all my rehearsals. People will think I will be singing on CD yet I will not.
The Bagonza album has 42 songs. Did you expect some songs not to get the reception they deserve?
I did 120 songs on this particular album.Even getting to 80 songs was a hustle. So my fans should just give me credit that their artiste has a big output.People listen to different songs every day.
Since it is a big album, you can choose your best eight songs this month and make your little playlist. I wanted to give my fans a folder to choose from and listen to what they want. You cannot gauge music. As long as it is good music, just put it out because people will receive it at whatever time. I do not limit myself, that is why I have a studio at home.
How is the album’s reception so far?
It is good. It has been my most selling album in terms of revenue.
Do albums make sense in Uganda?
They make sense in the world unless you only sing for Uganda. My albums sell everywhere.
Would you advise an artiste to stick to singles or make albums?
I think every artiste should at least make an album. Some people make albums depending on their state of mind. So it is important to have both.
There is a mentality in Uganda that for an artiste to earn through music, they have to perform on stage. What is your take on this?
An artiste can do well even without performances because you need to diversify. I feel artistes should align themselves with other brands because sometimes those brands can chip in in your career. For example, I have had some brands facilitating video shoots of some of my songs such as Chupa ku Chupa.
You need support from these brands. Apart from that, the streams can help you get some money.
We considered last year a dead year musically because of the type of music that was released. Do you think this affected the industry?
We need to have mediocre music for people to appreciate good music but the challenge is that these artistes are so many. Our audience has people who do not understand music and when they come across someone who does not know music, they embrace them.
Mediocres are in large numbers so we should not underestimate them because they have a big audience and you cannot do anything about them.
Last year still, we saw a release of many vulgar songs and these songs got a good reception. Do we see you falling for that trend?
It is easy to make such songs but how do you do it? It has never crossed my mind because I look at the future. How will my kids look at me when I take that angle? To be honest, negative sells but to me, it does not make sense.
What would you say of artistes behind such songs?
I do not blame the artistes because I do not know their agenda. I cannot blame someone without giving them an option. They might have exhausted everything for them to take that route. We tend to blame people without realising the state we have put them in.
In 2019, you participated in the OTT tax march. It was the last time we saw you engage in something that affected the masses. What happened?
My priorities as a person changed. I may not like the government but I do not need to make them an enemy. It is not worth it, but at the same time I can talk about anything as a normal Ugandan. It is not necessary to talk all the time. When the time is right, I speak. I like Bobi Wine and I like what he is up to but I cannot use him for my agenda. I feel like it is a wrong move.
People need political capital in the industry and we have seen examples of people who were rejected by the masses but later turned out their favourites. Where should someone draw the line?
Because I support Bobi Wine, there is no reason to hate someone who supports NRM. We might differ in our beliefs, but that cannot stop you from listening to my music. We are all Ugandans. I have never done music that belongs to NRM or People Power but I have sung about things that affect the ordinary Ugandan. I am not here to draw lines but to make good music.
In one of your recent interviews, you said you were denied a Coke studio chance. Elaborate on this.
I took a musical break in 2017 and got an opportunity to be considered for Coke studio but someone I cannot mention told the organisers that I am a Pepsi ambassador and was not eligible, yet I was not.
How did you get this information?
I went to Kenya and two Coke studio guys were excited to see me and through that excitement, they said they wanted me to be part of it but were told I was an ambassador for a rival brand. I was so surprised for someone to script something like that.
Did you have issues with the person?
No, and I do not hold a grudge against them either because it might have saved me from something. But it would be nice for someone worthy to be accorded a chance. I should have been on that platform to show what I am made of. No artiste can outshine me. I have dedicated so much time to this music that the way I create, I will do something different. Do you know that Wuyo plays at every Starbucks event around the world? They have 90 songs they play consistently and my song is among the few African songs.
What is your best song and why?
I think Tulikubigere because it is the song that surprised me. It did not have a video when it became a hit. I was the one who introduced Lyric videos that everyone later jumped on. It moved so fast without people putting a face to the song. It opened doors for me. It is a monumental song in my journey.
How would you summarise A Pass from your first song to your current song?
Growth. It is a blessing for me to move from one step to another. I own a microphone I always dreamt of having. I thank God and my fans for their love.