Edgar R. Batte
28 September 2008
The reigning Pearl of Africa Music (Pam) Awards' best folk-pop artiste, Dorrys Mutahunga, expects to cap on her double nomination this year, competing again for the best folk pop mantle as well as that for the Western artiste of the year. Ninkukunda, a traditional fusion of art and folklore done in Kinyankole, is one of her latest tracks expected gain her the respective awards.
A teacher by profession, Mutahunga got her musical grooming back in school at Bweranyangi Girls' Secondary School, where she started out as a pianist, later on becoming the school's chief pianist.
"This (really) worked on my composition skills because every time I sat behind a piano, I would somehow come up with a song to sing. I also doubled as the choir leader and many times we came to the National theatre to make presentations and being on stage exposed me," Mutahunga, who also did music as a subject in school, explains. She passed the music exam with a distinction, and went on to study it at A' level, and then at University, where she pursued a Bachelors Degree in music.
Unlike other girls who drew inspiration from musical icons like Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey, Mutahunga feels it was her church background that inspired her into singing because of the Christian concerts at Bweranyangi.
"When I joined Makerere University, I joined St. Francis chapel, where I became a music director. This also played a role in exposing me. We used to do live music with live instruments during the church services, which was serious stuff and whenever you made a discord, your classmates would hear it," the music teacher at Maryhill High School in Mbarara adds.
However, it was last year that she broke onto the local entertainment scene following the success of her debut hit single Keitetsi for Kuhingira, the traditional giveaway ceremony.
"After singing it at that function, all the people seemed to love it and that's how I started performing it. Later on that year, it was nominated for Pam Awards and won me the award for folk pop," Mutahunga says. Since then, she became an almost inevitable act at most of the Kuhingira functions, mostly of big shots.
She will be launching her 10-track album at Agip Motel in Mbarara on October 25 next month. Plus, she's opened a studio, Dove Studio, and is working on a few collaborations with some of the big artistes.
She's not confined to any style and prides herself in managing to freely do jazz, R'n'b, dancehall, and African folk pieces - which she learnt in school.
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