In the last five years or so following his graduation from medical school, he has successfully juggled music and his medical practice but earning much fame from the former than the latter.
But that is not to mean that Tom Close is about to drop his stethoscope to exclusively focus on music. He wants – and probably enjoys – juggling both, on top of other extracurricular activities.
The ‘Naba umuyonga’ singer is now putting together his next studio album, the seventh since he embarked on his musical journey more than a decade ago.
After graduating with a degree in Human Medicine from the National University of Rwanda, Tom Close took up work at the National Police Hospital in Kacyiru, opening a new chapter in his budding professional life.
Three years ago, the singer was transferred to the National Centre for Blood Transfusion, where he is in charge of blood donor recruitment and retention.
"I’ve not been involved with music and medicine only. I’m also an author and illustrator, and all of that has been taking my time equally,” he said.
On juggling music with medical work he quips;
"Studio time is anytime, like tea time. When you get inspired you can hit studio even after midnight. From experience I’ve gained after more than ten years in the game, I’m able to record a song overnight and I’m done.”
But Tom Close, real name Thomas Muyombo, is working on more songs than he will need for the upcoming album, for which he is yet to settle on a title track.
"Right now I just released my latest song but I have more than ten other songs that are done and ready for release. So it becomes very easy for me because when I’m going to release a song I just choose from the projects that I already have. I have people with whom we sit and choose which song to release next. This makes it so easy for me to carry out different tasks at the same time,” he explained.
For this album he works with different producers and studios; from Kina Music, his management label, to Monster Records, and producer Melody.
He describes the album as "a balance between Brand Tom Close and the music that is out there on the market”;
"I did not want to deviate much from my brand as Tom Close because the fans that I have decided on supporting me for some reason, and I don’t want to disappoint them by becoming someone else. So it will be 50/50, which will make it different from the other albums.
People know me as someone who does R&B mainly, and some pop. These two are wide genres of music, so I’ll try to make sure I do R&B, but in a more modern and up-to-date way, which is different from the way I’ve been doing my old songs.”
A few of the songs on the upcoming album have already been released, including ‘Thank you’, featuring The Ben, ‘Igikomere’, featuring Bull Dogg, and ‘Naba umuyonga’.
At the moment, Close is juggling two options for the launch:
"First option is a mega concert, because I’ve done simple concerts in the past, and right now I need something bigger, so I’m waiting for the right moment and the right sponsors because an event in the stadium is a very huge thing that needs partnership.
The other option is to make sure that my albums are on the streets, so that anyone who wants to buy can get them, and then I release them online. Then organise a small invites-only event for media and corporate sponsors. So it’s either a stadium event, or it’s a hotel event. But currently I’m pitching for funds from sponsors to make sure that the willing ones come on board so that we can do a stadium event,” he explained.
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