The Weekly Observer (Kampala)
Simon Musasizi
27 March 2008
Kampala — At the January concerts in West Africa, everyone was happy. Spending two weeks in Ghana and Nigeria, the girls enjoyed the enthusiastic welcome, but who would even guess that they were having their last concerts together.
Created three years ago, the Coca Cola Pop stars only reigning group, Blu*3 is headed to lose one of its original members. The most-approachable and friendly of all the girls, Cinderella Sanyu a.k.a Cindy has been 'forced' out of Blu*3.
This comes after Steve Jean recently threw in his towel as manager of the group to Club Rouge's Ally Alabhai, saying he was too busy with his Fenon Studios to effectively manage the group.
The 2004 Coca Cola pop stars competition held in the three East African countries; Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania gave birth to Cindy, Lillian Mbabazi a.k.a. Lee, and Jackie Chandiru who christened themselves Blu*3 during the recording in Johannesburg with South African producer, Denis East.
Initially, the group suffered from selfishness -call it individualism and many people concluded it was unworkable. They each strived to impress the public at the expense of the unity of the group. But they managed to get over it with their manager, Steve Jean becoming a uniting factor.
As Kenya's Sema and Tanzania's Wakilisha closed business, the girls' debut album, Hitaji was hitting chats. This was followed last year with their second album, Burrn.
Genesis of crisis
Before Steve Jean quit, the girls had resolved to promote Burrn this year. And in January, they staged concerts in Ghana and Nigeria where they spent two weeks, before resolving to go for a one-month holiday.
Cindy decided to spend her holiday with her boyfriend, Mario Brunetti in Spain. But according to Cindy, a week into her holiday she received a call from her colleagues asking her to 'be back or else get replaced.'
"I told them it wasn't possible because it was my holiday and yet I had registered with a vocal trainer. They asked me if I had relocated and I told them no," said Cindy, who jets into the country this Sunday, in a phone interview with The Weekly Observer.
On February 25, Cindy says, she received another call from her colleagues telling her she had been permanently replaced.
Usually, whenever a member was absent, she was temporarily replaced.
During the East Africa Television (EATV)'s one night concert in Dar-es-Salaam in 2006, for example, Cindy was away, but with her consent she was temporarily replaced with Kombat Dancers' Edith who even used the singer's costumes.
In 2005, when the group had just started, Lillian was always away in Nairobi and at one time Steve Jean considered replacing her permanently, but Cindy says she always "stood in for her."
When this writer interviewed Cindy last year, she said that despite their differences in the background, which threatened the group at the beginning, they needed each other.
"We loved different things. With time, this became our strength. Because we are different, we need each other. Lillian's strength or Jackie's is in most cases my weakness, so in that way I need them to cover me and the other way round," she said.
Cindy, who doesn't think their 'small' disagreements could have sparked off the split, says she left the country without any signs of the two girls going against her. "Everybody was happy," she said.
"We had disagreed on general things, like which costumes to wear, got jealous when one got more attention from men, or if the crowd reacted to her more than the others, but we managed to get over it."
Cindy was what you would call the face of Blu*3. Given her height, she was usually in the middle of the girls while on stage. Her costume was usually uniquely designed from that of Jackie and Lillian.
And while still under Steve Jean, she was closer to the producer, drawing media speculation that they were dating. But Cindy says it was because they knew each other before meeting the other girls.
"We met in the Coca Cola Real stars [before the pop stars competition] and that is why he used to hang out with me more than the other girls," Cindy said.
The group's new manager, Ally Alabhai, confirmed to The Weekly Observer that Cindy will not be back in the group.
"Cindy is no longer with the group because she chose not to," Alabhai said.
"This is a music group and you can't take so much time off the scene -otherwise you will not be felt. If a group doesn't perform in three months, it's forgotten", he added.
Cindy went to Spain towards the end of January and the first media report that she had been officially replaced by Mya came on March 7.
But Alabhai says: "Nobody wanted to throw her out, but the group wanted to continue working. The one-month holiday was over and we left the choice to her -to either come back or get replaced, and she chose her relationship."
According to Alabhai, the group decided to hold auditions in which Obsessions' Mya emerged as the best candidate. Alabhai alleges that Cindy even sent the group an sms telling them "she wanted to take time off and the group should move on."
"Sometimes it happens in life. Maybe it was time for her to move on," Alabhai said, before concluding that the "group wishes her the best".
Cindy admits feeling betrayed by her colleagues, but says she is ready to go solo. The singer, whose latest composition Strong Woman has sold not only in Uganda but also in some West African countries, says her boyfriend is supportive of her career.
Mario, a hair stylist and businessman, whom she met at Kampala Casino sometime back, has enrolled her with a private vocal trainer and bought her several costumes.
"I have a life and career in Uganda and I love it. I wouldn't give it up for anything. I am sad about Blu*3 for sure, but I think I am ready to be on my own; if that's what they wanted, fine," she said in an e-mail.
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