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Uganda: Henry Tigan Eyes International Stardom
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The Monitor (Kampala)
7 March 2008
Posted to the web 6 March 2008
Edgar R. Batte
The Pam awards new artiste of the year will be doing collaborations with Kevin Lyttle and Brick & Lace
It is one thing to have an idea and another to walk your talk, but for singer Henry Tigan, luck has also factored in to give him the big musical push that has earned him a respectable career in a short spell.
In the last seven months, Tigan billed for tracks like Emiranga, Lwaki Oninza, Abogezi and Love Enzita his collaboration with Rita Kigozi, will now take his shot at the international pedestal. My Country in which he features Marlon Asher and Pretty Gal a dancehall track with Mighty Mystic were the precursors for his journey onto the international stage.
"It has been seven miraculous months. I've managed to break through the local market. My ambition now is to gain international recognition," the soft-spoken, Tigan revealed.
To aid his ambitions, his manager Suudi Lukwago, is calling the shots and already the 23-year-old has a number of collaborations with famed international stars, his latest track World of Scandals with Marlon Asher being one them.
The collaboration with the Trinidad and Tobago born singer has enjoyed favourable airplay locally, in Kenya and in the U.K. The reggae tune, a dedication to the people of Kenyan during the time of political and social crisis, is woven around the clamour for lost sanity erupting from struggles for freedom in which it is the innocent people who suffer. The video, shot by Mega Vision, will be out soon.
Henry Tigan, who claims to ease with all music genres as manifested on his maiden album on which he does reggae, dancehall and Afro beat, thinks he passionately gives his best with reggae given its laid-back style that would give the listener a chance to listen to the lyrical content thus getting the message beyond simply enjoying the arrangement.
The 2007 Pearl of Africa Music (Pam) award winner of the New Artiste of the year category will be travelling to the U.K to record part of his forthcoming album at Abbey Studios - a recording session that comes with winning the accolade.
He is expected to work with the likes of Rayvon who has worked on musical collaborations with dancehall star Shaggy since his 1992 album Big Up and songs like Summer time and Nice & lovely.
Suudi confirms that Tigan will also be doing collaborations with Kevin Lyttle and Brick & Lace. Tigan flies out for the recording sessions, which have been bankrolled by Bell Lager, one of the flagship sponsors of the Pam awards in early April. However before the studio sessions, he will have two Easter shows in the London.
Already he has done some of the tracks to feature on the 10-track album. Silimulimba, one of the tracks on the forthcoming project, has enjoyed favourable reception in U.K. and the local airwaves.
Henry Tigan who cut his music teeth with the upstart Jamming Crew with which he shared the stage with Dennis Lama and Mr. Hash, knocked Suudi Lukwago over with his package - a unique music style, ability to write his own music and lyrical content.
"Suudi Lukwago, then an owner of a music studio, had a dream of promoting artistes. His partner and producer, Geoffrey Lwanga, sold him the idea of promoting upcoming artistes. That is how we got to meet. He liked the fact that my music had a message to it," Tigan speaks of how he met his manager. That was back in 2005.
Tigan's dream was to do music that would not enjoy airplay and fade through sooner than its popularity would warrant, so to say 'bubble gum music'. His is a passion to out music that can stand the test of time. Abogeezi for instance is a 2006 release but only earned enormous airplay recently.
The admirer of veteran live performers, Afrigo Band, gives the kudos to the band which he equates to British reggae band UB40 since they have managed to survive through the years with a big fan base that flocks Club Obbligato every weekend to have fun.
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With collaborations with big stars and flexibility to perform different genres, Uganda might find an international star in an ambitious artiste with unique style.
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