Uganda Gospel Music
Uganda Gospel MusicUganda is home to over 30 different ethnic groups and tribes, and they form the basis of all indigenous music. The Baganda, being the most prominent tribe in the country, have dominated the culture and music of Uganda over the last two centuries. The other tribes have their own musical styles passed down since the 18th century.
The first form of popular music to arise out of traditional music was the Kadongo Kamu style of music, which arose out of traditional Ganda music. Later music genres drew from Kadongo Kamu, making it one of the most influential music genres in Uganda.
Currently, because of the effects of globalization, Uganda, like most African countries, has seen a growth in modern audio production. This has led to the adoption of western music styles like Dancehall and Hip Hop. Current Ugandan popular music is part of the larger African popular music.
Gospel
Early Gospel music in Uganda was modeled mainly after praise and worship music practiced by church choirs and bands. This was particularly true for the pentecostal/Born Again movement, locally referred to as Balokole.
Artists like Fiona Mukasa in the mid-1990s were responsible for taking praise and worship music out of the churches and onto the streets. Because of the influence of Soukous music at the time, this early gospel had a Soukous sound. Limit X were another gospel group that gained popularity during the 1990s, although the group had formed years earlier, in the late 1970s.
Just after the turn of the century, the styles in gospel became more diverse, with various groups like Sauti and First Love adding to the urban sound created by Limit X. Others like George Okudi and Father Musaala had hits on the radio circuit and internationally.
Gospel, however, started having a notable impact on the music industry when Judith Babirye broke through circa 2007. Babirye, whose music was similar to Mukasa’s, was an instant hit and her song “Beera Nange” was among the songs of the year in its year of release.
She was followed by Wilson Bugembe, another musician who was readily embraced by the listening public with his songs becoming national hits, cutting across all demographics.
They have since been joined by various new artists spanning various genres.
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