IN 2019, a few months after he had graduated from high school, upcoming singer, Calvin Mbanda would have been working for an ICT company had he not been participating in a music competition organised by The Mane Music Label. The singer however, rejected the offer to concentrate on the music competition as he had his eyes set on building a music career. “When you complete school, you are expected to become financially independent. But I told the person who wanted to hire me to hold the offer since the opportunity came at a time when I was already in a music competition. I just wanted to do music. That job would have been my second option had I failed to make it in music,” the 22-year-old told The New Times in an interview. Mbanda’s dream came true when he beat 29 other contestants to win the competition, walking away with Rwf1, 000, 000 and a contract with The Mane Music Label’s management. The singer is now seen as one of Rwanda’s music prospects that could raise the flag high through their music. Born in Kimisagara, Nyarugenge District, Mbanda is the last born in a family of seven. Though he wasn’t sure that his parents would let him do music while still a student, Mbanda used his talent to participate in a choir during his high school days. Upon completing his studies, the then youngster would often visit a music studio at different occasions and record some songs although he wasn’t able to release them. A new kid in a house of stars With Mbanda knocking on the label’s door, The Mane Music was already home to big artistes like rapper Jay Polly, Queen Cha, Safi Madiba and Marina, whose music was quickly breaking through to the audience. He found himself in a different world of music and a new environment in which he had never been before. He credits part of his music growth to the artists that he joined at The Mane, with whom he was able to learn a lot as a young musician who wanted to grow his career. This is proven in some of his hit songs in which they feauture, including ‘Ikanisa’ and ‘Nari High’. “It’s a privilege to grow in that group of artists and I don’t take it for granted because there are young people who wish to learn from them but do not get that chance,” he said. They know all the hurdles that rising artistes face because they have doing in music for years. They know the music business, what music that sells and what is needed on the market, the music that people need and what doesn’t work in music,” he added. Mbanda’s first recording at the music label was ‘All I Need’ which he describes was a wake-up call to inform people that a new artist was coming on the block. He, however, gives more credit to ‘Nari High’, an all-star song that featured all of The Mane’s artistes. “That song played an important role in my music breakthrough because that is when people got to know me,” he said. Mbanda was last year, among the 10 fast-rising stars of the ’New Generation’ after their voices were combined in an all-star one song, “Ndaryohewe”, which went on to be among the top hits of the year, overall. He so far has seven songs to his name, including four singles and three collaborations. His latest song, ‘Aba People’, is a story built about people who say the wrong things that can split couples. As works to establish his name on the local scene, Mbanda is focused on pushing his music beyond borders until he is recognized as an international musician.
