He is known for setting up one of the first modern music studios in Rwanda, which churned out hits for musicians who pioneered pop music such as Tom Close, The Ben, Miss Shanel, Urban Boyz and others. Maurice Umwami, known by his production name Maurix, has now ventured into opera music, vowing to be the very first Rwandan musician to do opera in Kinyarwanda. Maurix has released his second opera song ‘Ngabira’, after the first one ‘Isi irabakeneye’ and through opera music, he hopes to produce music with a message to society. The producer, who recently returned from The Netherlands where he had gone to pursue a master’s degree and stayed to work for some time, is now back on the music scene and he wants to make a difference. Maurix in studio. photo/courtesy. Speaking on Kiss FM this week where he was hosted by Uncle Austin, Maurix, who rose to fame in Huye town where he originally started his studio, said that he intends to do music that touches people. The song ‘Ngabira’ is about the difficulties people face in daily life, the struggles of making a breakthrough and giving people a second chance. “Everyone has immense power in themselves but all they need is a chance to prove that they can make a difference. Once given a chance, they can thrive. “Sometimes people doubt you, call you lazy, or say you are not trying enough yet all you need is a chance. There is no permanent condition,” says Maurix, who now goes by the stage name ‘Maurix Baru’. Maurix, best known for his studio “Maurix Music Studio”, helped many of the artistes who are popular today to make a breakthrough in his early years when he was a student at the National University of Rwanda (NUR) in Butare. After graduating, Maurix moved his studio to Kigali in 2015 but in 2017, he got the opportunity to go to The Netherlands for further studies. After graduating and getting a job, it was not easy for him to return to Rwanda immediately to continue with his music career. Recently, he managed to return and pick up from where he stopped. He is remembered for producing songs such as ‘Mbwira Yego’ by Tom Close, ‘Amahirwe ya nyuma’ by The Ben, ‘Sindi indyarya’ by Urban Boys, ‘Nakoze iki?’ by Riderman, ‘We are one’ by Patrick Nyamitari and many others including ‘Ndagukunda’ by Miss Shanel and Mesach Semakula. The producer has also created for groups including Choral de Kigali, which he once was a member of, and for traditional troupes. Maurix started off where most musicians do, in church. In 1997, he played the piano at Petit Seminaire Karubanda. In 2000, he founded Amis de la Paix (friends of peace) group in Kigeme. Upon joining NUR, he became part of Salus Populi, a drama and music club where university students expressed themselves through music, most times playing popular Rwandan ‘oldies’ and sometimes playing their original music before he went on to become a celebrated producer. Watch ‘Ngabira’ by Maurice Baru here
