Upcoming artistes urged to be more innovative

Aspiring singer-songwriter Khalidy has urged fellow upcoming singers to be more innovative.

Wednesday, December 07, 2016
Khalidy performs at a previous show in Rubavu District. (File)

Aspiring singer-songwriter Khalidy has urged fellow upcoming singers to be more innovative.

According to the Rubavu based Afrobeat singer, real name Idrissa Nshimiyimana, upcoming musicians should focus more on creating songs that would make meaningful impact and should be more creative because through creativity, artistes will be able to stand out internationally.

The singer, who recently performed at Polliakov Unplugged, a new initiative that supports upcoming artistes, also said that the music industry is evolving and still needs more support to compete at the international market.

He explained that initiatives such as Polliakov Unplugged have helped artistes, especially upcoming musicians to develop careers in music and challenged them to produce quality music that people would enjoy.

He appealed to the government and corporate companies to support musicians and make the industry more vibrant.

"Artistes face several challenges like lack of money to record in good studios, endorsements from corporate companies and radio stations that sometimes refuse to play our music,” he said, adding that: "this has always been a challenge, especially for the artistes who do music from upcountry.”

Despite having limited access to big shows and exposure to the media, some of these upcoming artistes are working hard to make their music heard across the country.

The 25-year-old is one of the popular artistes in the Southern Province, thanks to his singles, such as Kararisa, Uzankoraho, Ndarufite, and Thawabu, among others.

He records his music from Dream Life Records studio based in Western Province. He has two videos but his plans are to make more videos next year and promote his music beyond the borders of the country.

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