It is less than 10 days to DJ Pius’s biggest musical gig as a solo musician, and the artiste says all is set.
The two-in-one ‘Iwacu’ album launch concert will take place on August 3 and 4, at Kigali Conference and Exhibition Village (Camp Kigali) and Musanze stadium respectively.
"Preparations are in very high gear, we are having live band rehearsals with the Neptunez Band and confirming musicians who are going to perform at the shows. So we are very, very ready,” said DJ Pius, born Pius Rickie Rukabuza, in an interview with The New Times on Tuesday afternoon.
"Preparation-wise I would say it’s been well arranged. I had enough time to think about and plan this show starting in March. So I’m hoping people will come to see my first album launch as a solo music artiste. They will have fun because we’re very ready.”
It is not only his first album launch as a solo musician, but also the biggest musical show the artiste has ever put together. It is not every day that a local musician or show promoter flies in so many foreign acts to grace a single event.
The entire Mayanja musical family from Uganda, comprising of siblings Jose Chameleone, Pallaso, and Weasel will be at the show, as well as Ray Signature, another Ugandan musician who Pius collaborated on the songToo bad with.
France-based Burundian vocalist Big Fizzo will also be at the show.
Jose Chameleone. Net
Asked what rationale he used to select the foreign headline acts, Pius explained that he simply invited all the artistes with whom he had collaborations on the ‘Iwacu’ album.
"It would look weird if I did an album release concert without the main people I’ve collaborated with,” he said.
In all, there are eight collaborations on the 18-track album.
Tanzanian songbird Lady Jaydee was in the country a few weeks ago to shoot the video of Mana we (Oh my God), her collabo with DJ Pius and one of the songs on the album. Pius could not confirm if Jaydee will return for next week’s shows, but he is hopeful.
But not all artistes with collaborations on the album will make it to the album launch, including MC Galaxy and Solid Star from Nigeria, and Magnom from Ghana.
"It would have been better for me to invite all of them but that could not happen. I would have been very glad if the Nigerian artistes also turned up. God did not make it possible for me to have all of them but I have enough, so I’m not complaining,” Pius further revealed, adding: "But everyone that you saw on the fliers is going to perform with me either in Kigali or Musanze.”
While the foreign artistes will accompany Pius at both shows, local acts will only perform on day two, in Musanze. However, unlike their foreign counterparts, none of the scheduled local acts has a collaboration with DJ Pius.
"But I work with them (local artistes), compose music for them, sometimes I produce for them and direct them, sometimes I introduce them to other musicians, and with time I will have projects with them,” said Pius.
But how did Pius manage to put together a two-in-one show, with big regional artistes, yet with no sponsorship?
He explained: "In Rwanda we have a problem of sponsorship. We don’t have enough sponsorship for shows, so you’ve to do it yourself. I’m grateful that I’m able to do this kind of thing. It’s not many artistes that would pull it off and I’m grateful to God and my team for this.”