Edwin Nuwagaba
25 July 2008
2008 looks quite a promising year for African contemporary singer Suzan Kerunen.
She has just been nominated for the Kora Awards, and tonight she will be holding a grand show at the Golf course Hotel. Whereas she will be unveiling songs off her new album Lek as well as sing from her previous album Nimefika, she prefers not to call it an album launch.
"It is a different show from the rest I have done, because it is interactive. It is not tied down to a charity cause this time; it is more of a one on one with my fans.
I just want to get to know them, appreciate them and them getting to know the other side of me," she says. The artiste has branded herself a compassionate singer, most of whose previous concert proceedings like last year's 'Light a candle feed the child' and others, have gone out to children's causes.
She will be accompanied by Soul Beat Africa (Michael Ouma, Allan Okwii, Jude Mugerwa, Richard Kinobe, Baka and others). While the group has not performed at your average Bigunda events, their mastery of various music instruments has seen them globe trot.
So, tonight the band, will play both traditional and modern instruments as Kerumen performs Gilaal, Malaika Njo, Loka cha, Lek, Sister's Keepers, Bella and other songs from her previous album Nimefika, which all were written and sung in her native language Alur, Kiswahili and English. Production for her songs was done by Jude Mugerwa at his Little Penny studio in Mengo.
The new songs that she performs tonight however, will be recorded live for later CD sales as she hopes to adopt this as her style of recording. Her Kora nomination comes in for her Afro pop song off her album Nimefika. While the Kora nomination might be the highest moment in her career so far, she says it came as a surprise.
"It was a shock and surprise to me, but I am very happy that my music has reached a level where I could be appreciated internationally alongside very big stars that have done quite a lot of work than I have done myself. For me to be on that stage with very big artistes all over Africa, yet I have not been in this industry for more than two years, I feel it is such an honour," she says.
Kerunen gets her inspiration for African contemporary music, from artistes like Omar Pene and Youssou. While her genre of music is not deeply rooted in the local market, she is still optimistic. Tonight other artistes that will perform along with her include Maurice Kirya and Kwela. Tickets for this show go for Shs20,000.
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