At the age of 21, Fred Robinson Mugisha, known by his production name Element, has taken the Rwandan music scene by storm, churning out hit after hit since the outbreak of Covid-19 last year. You have certainly heard ‘Eleeeh’ in almost all Rwandan hit songs released in recent months. It is a journey the then 20-year-old began with Bruce Melodie’s hit Henzapu, which was released in March last year, and he hasn’t looked back. Today, he is one of the most sought-after producers not only in Rwanda, but he is also getting calls from Nigeria, Ghana, U.S, Canada, Burundi and Uganda, from artistes who want him to produce their songs. Born in a family of four, Element, who is the first born, says he feels he is yet to get where he wants to be and does not want fame to get to his head. The talented producer revealed that music was one of his many gifts, but he never saw himself becoming a music producer. Element started from scratch and is now one of young talents Rwanda is blessed with. Photos/ Net “I started making music professionally in January 2020, but I started making beats in secondary school, making beats on keyboards and on the laptop. So, it was like a passion but not professional then,” Element, who also used to do art and play football at the same time, recalls. “I had many dreams when I was growing up. At first, I wanted to be a soldier and later I wanted to be an artist. I also wanted to be a football player,” Element says, before he came face-to-face with his current vocation. “I wanted to be an artiste in general but I didn’t actually know the domain I wanted to be in,” recalls Element, who also dreamed of becoming a computer engineer. Element met Jean Paul Nduwimana, known as Noopja, in the music industry, who was also a musician, but later ventured into music investment, and recruited him to join his newly established studio, Country Records. The Karongi-born producer had just finished high school when he joined the studio, but it took Nduwimana a lot of effort to convince parents that it was the right route he was taking. “Actually, they had refused. It took Noopja to convince them. He came to my home in Karongi, Western Province, to talk to them and by chance they accepted,” he says, adding that right now they see how things are going and they believe the process. Nduwimana first approached Element in 2019 after listening to one of the beats he made on his computer, and he went the extra mile to convince his parents. His favourite song so far is Henzapu, which was his very first track and went on to become a hit. He also produced Saa Moya by Bruce Melodie, Formula by Juno Kizigenza, Kola by The Ben, Carolina by Meddy, Ikanisa by The Mane artistes, all of which went on to become hits. Asked whether he has a girlfriend, the shy producer says no, not very soon because he wants to focus on work and not get distracted. “I don’t need to get myself in many things right now. I’m just focused on one thing so when it’s over, I will continue many other things,” Element says, noting that for now he put school on hold to focus on his music production career. The self-taught producer says he doesn’t have a specific role model but all producers who make good music, old or new. He keeps learning every day to improve his craft. How ‘Eleeeh’ came about, handling fame Mugisha says Element had always been his nickname, but his friend shortened it to ‘Eleeeh’ and he liked it and then he started using it. On handling fame at a young age, Element says he doesn’t want it to get to his head because he believes he is not where he wants to be yet. “I have not done anything yet. I still have many things to do,” Element says, refusing to accept that he is already famous but he believes at some point he will be. “I am just a normal person who is willing to do many things,” he says, adding, however, that it is not all rosy as most times he finds himself doing too many things at the same time or handling too many projects, which affects his performance. The young producer is already raking in the benefits of producing the best music, from his name to friends and property. He believes that the Rwandan music industry is heading in the right direction and believes it can go farther. He has also produced songs such, Atansiyo by Platini, Sound by Safi Madiba, Ikinyafu by Bruce Melodie and Kenny Soul and many others.
