Finally Uganda’s songbird Juliana Kanyomozi has dropped another single hit -‘I’M STILL HERE’ . It is a sing along -dance song.
However, the song has stirred controversy rather than the applause expected after the musician took a long break from the social scene after her traumatic loss of a son in 2014.
This song defines her personal commitment to not let circumstance hold her down. As her lyrics say…
‘I have been through the fire’
‘Through the jungle’
‘Through the storm’
‘But I am still here’
‘I’ll be alright even when I walk’
‘Through the valley of death’
‘I will bend but never break’
The multiple award winning artist released her single after speculations that she had stopped doing music arose.
I,M STILL HERE’ song was supposed to serve as a comeback and prove to other musicians that she is still the reigning queen in Uganda’s RnB music industry.
Some of her fans shared their disappointments on social media and claimed that her video concept is a direct ‘copy and paste’ from other international music videos.
Her actions in the music video are similar to those in Jennifer Lopez’s famous song ‘I ain’t your Mama’ and also Nikki Minaj and Ariana Grande’s song ‘Side to Side’.
At the same time, her fan powered praise and support. Obviously there some jerky comments that have been made too. In her defense, Juliana wrote on her YouTube page that the song and video concept echoed the daily challenges people in general face.
“I’M STILL HERE is a song inspired not only by my life, but by a multitude of experiences and challenges that people go through and the human power to overcome and conquer the insurmountable! It is a song for everyone, it is a mirror for all of us,” wrote Juliana.
In the music video, Juliana is seen performing various chores; from mopping the floor and pressing clothes, to exercising and sitting on the throne as a royalty. She relates to all women from housewives to the independent women making waves in the cooperate world.
Nonetheless, Juliana’s life has not been smooth. In 2014, her only child Keron Kabugo passed away at a young age and this saw Juliana take an impromptu retreat from work and the social scene.
Juliana rose to fame in the late 1990s as one half of the all-girl duo I-Jay. She later embarked on a solo career. Her unique talent and beauty have seen her stay on top with no competition in sight.
Kanyomozi who hails from a royal family is a first cousin to Toro’s reigning King Rukidi IV has won over 24 awards and has been nominated on numerous occasions.
She was the first female musician to win the Pearl of Africa Music Awards in 2008 and she also won the lifetime achievement award in Diva Awards Afrika in 2015.
Note that Julian commands a huge fan base in Rwanda. “We cant wait to see her in Kigali, we miss her performances,” says Yvan Mulisa.
