Ugandan artiste Ykee Benda, who recently became popular for his charts like ‘Munna-Kampala’, and ‘Farmer’ featuring Queen Sheeba, says music to him is not all about making money, but leaving legacy in the African music industry.
Ykee Benda, who sees himself as ‘Africa’s finest’ in the next couple of years, says, “Yes I want the money but most of all I want to live my life to inspire someone. I want people to remember me as a person who made a difference.”
His charts have claimed a big share of fans in the East Africa.
The 26-year old, whose real names are Tugume Wycliffe and Ykee Benda as stage name, threw a thrilling performance at the Nyama Choma extravaganza in Kigali recently. Benda, spoke to Taarifa before he left. He reveled to us how he is a proud Rwandan, and was happy that for the first time he was able to hold a high-spirited and exceptionally show in his homeland.
“Rwanda is home. I want to make it big in the continent to make my fellow Rwandans proud of me,” Benda says.
Much as he was born, raised and lived in Uganda, he says he feels proud to be Rwandan.
During his one-day stay in Kigali, he recorded a song and a music video featuring Urban Boyz. In this video, he reveals his favourite local artistes: The Ben, Meddy, Bravan, Active, Urban Boys, and many others. “They are really talented,” he admits.
Benda believes there is great talent in the region and the lack of efficient promotion strategies makes many artistes lag behind.
“Most of the artistes in East Africa have not yet been exposed to the African market. East Africa’s music industry lacks adequate investment, which is a major hindrance to help us fully exploit our potential,” Benda observes.
In spite of the challenges, the singer points out that the industry is growing steadily. He thinks all artistes in the region need to be passionate, aggressive and versatile. Moreover, they should “work together and support each other”, that is his humble point of view. You can download some of his songs HERE
