A few years ago, the global soundscape was taken by storm when an Afro-spotting kid from Uganda ignited passions everywhere with his guitar and soulful lyrics.

Our nation's premiere music ambassador garnered prestigious international awards along the way, establishing Uganda on the international scene, as a musical powerhouse. The talent responsible for this accomplishment is none other than Maurice Kirya, who is happy to connect with his fans by granting me an interview at Prunes Café, on Wampewo avenue.

From the beginning of the meeting, it feels like I know this artiste even though I was meeting him for the first time. He is very well-spoken and knows how to make people let their guard down - a great communicator. This is one individual you cannot peg down to a label; his sound mirrors the dynamism and passion he embodies.

He started out doing hip hop but as he explains, "I stopped doing hip hop because I sucked at it. Okay, maybe I did not suck but was in my elder brother's shadows".

I want to know if he will ever retire from music and do something else, to which he responds, "I like to play or experiment with music to discover new sounds in respect of my age and my mind. So alongside my passion for acting, I will always be doing music - I just don't know what sound I will have. Just like a painter wants to find a new stroke or manipulate light in a different way, is what I want to do with music." He is what I would describe as a free spirit.

When I inquire whether he is born-again, he says he is not, but makes his detesting of labels clearer by saying: "I am spiritual. I grew up Catholic though my mum is Protestant. I attended Catholic schools but sang in born-again churches; I am more interested in the word of God versus religion. When I go to church, it is to hear the word, not religion. I respect all religions and I listen to different religious discussions. I have the Qur'an on my i-Phone and have many Muslim friends."

With all his globetrotting, I ask him what important lesson he has learnt on his travels. "Apart from every country being different and as an artiste, you need to grow; in all the other countries they are so supportive of their local musicians. They basically stuff them down your throat [and] that is why they are big. They are aggressively promoted by their patriotic fan base.

Unlike Ugandans who do not consistently uphold their countrymen in international events--look at Charlie in Big Brother whom people realised brought something different to the house after he left. They never gave him the support he deserved while in the house. Look at Radio and Weasel; they could have won the B.E.T award after being nominated if we had rallied behind them as a nation."

The grace of God has been with Kirya from the first day he came on the music scene 11 years ago. "I have seen a lot of the beauty and a lot of the evil in the industry, but the fact that I can wake up every morning and look into the mirror and see myself - still see the 12-year-old who is free to dream and still have part of my innocence intact - I can only thank God."

In terms of advice to upcoming artistes, Kirya says, "If you are not a visionary, if you are cheap, greedy, forget your family upbringing and don't have your feet on the ground, you could easily lose yourself or soul even though you make a lot of money. The greatest wealth we have as human beings is ourselves, because we are born naked. You need to think beyond your voice and direction of melody and think about communicating."

Kirya, recently a judge of a music competition (the Coca-Cola Rated Next show on Urban TV), also tells me about the experience of musically critiquing others:

"A competition is a competition; if you came on your bad day, the competition does not want to know, they want goals. Besides, it was the crowd voting, and there are a few who I'm working with because of their talent."

To him, collaborations are not a competition because "you gain more with a collaboration; it is a whole new recipe. New people broaden my reach."

Kirya in school:

Although some tend to think that the number and type of schools a person attended is a yardstick of his or her success, Kirya is the exception to the rule. He attended several primary schools, finally completing his PLE at Nakivubo Blue primary school, in downtown Kampala.

Even for his A-levels, Kirya went to Kampala Citizen College, and a couple of other secondary schools, including St Joseph's Secondary School, Ndeeba. While in school, Kirya kept the artiste in him ablaze by performing drama and music. And after school, alongside his music, he interned with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, African Youth Foundation and Pathfinders, emerging as a qualified youth counsellor. This training explains the role model attributes he unconsciously projects.

"It made me passionate about the youth. They need people to love them, believe in them. People need to start seeing the beauty in everything, not just the negative; so, with the youth we need to empower them and not only show them what they are doing wrong."

Contrite Kirya:

Kirya is also humble enough to reveal: "I make mistakes, I have broken hearts. There are many people who have at one time wanted to rip my head off; this is because I am human. What people see is me trying to be the best person I can be and treat others the way I want to be treated." He, however, does not like being portrayed as a saint - yet another label he diffuses.

When I probe about the pressures he faces being an innovator of the Mwoyo genre and whether his crossover into acting dissolves the mysticism that has painted him as a sex symbol, he says: "Every time I take a step, I leave a footprint behind so when I take a step, the person behind me will learn and that's why I keep trying new things. I don't want to be mysterious to my own self, as in not having the opportunity to discover what I could do with acting."

The successful July Show:

According to Kirya, his July 18 show, The Maurice Live Concert 2013, was "the most packed show they have had in Serena Conference Centre by any artiste, apart from maybe Kirk Franklin."

For that show, industrious Kirya designed the stage, lights and script and had 78 employees, whom he knows by name. "People say I am a perfectionist but I am just passionate when I do things. Anyway, it was successful and I would like to thank the fans for the love."

I badly want to know (like most fans) how Kirya has built his stylish image, so I ask him. "I have two stylists but choose to work strictly with Ugandan designers. Like for the show, I wore two coats made by Raphael, a scarf by Kunda, jewellery was made by Nunu Umuringa jewellery, Abryanz and Laurence Hill Renzioni (for the clothes)."

So, how is it possible that a mama's boy made it to be a hardworking and talented artiste?

"I love my mother to death but I don't call her first thing every morning like Saba and Vampino (his brothers). I know Vampino is gonna kill me for this but it is true. I have a rebellious streak, I love to hide away and do my own thing. It's just that our mother has been part of our lives; she relates with us, she knows our slang, music, fashion and understands sometimes boys will get into a fight. She has been there every inch in every way," explains Kirya, the humble star that stands out all the same.