In 2012, a then 19-year-old Bruce Melodie launched a career in music. Ten years later, the singer presented to his music supporters and other players in the music industry the milestones he achieved in music: In a concert dubbed ’10 Years of Bruce Melodie’ held on Saturday, November 6, the prizes, the music and the commercial deals signed, the singer had a reason to reflect on what the past decade offered him before he embarked on another decade. Thousands of revelers, including a section of over a hundred taxi moto drivers who were offered free tickets to watch their favorite singer, were anticipating a live performance from the artiste they have for years seen making headlines. The singer was not alone in celebration, as he was joined by a number of artistes who have watched him grow to make the celebration a colorful one. At exactly 6pm, Inganzo Ngari Cultural Troupe officially opened the concert the traditional way to welcome revelers who were still queuing out of the Arena in big numbers, presenting their tickets to be allowed into the venue. From up-and-coming rapper Papa Cyangwe who took the opportunity to show revelers his unique hip hop talent, to Christopher who is pushing for a comeback, the artistes’ 8-10 performances were worth it. Revelers were however, mostly impressed by Niyo Bosco’s performance. Seated on a chair, and escorted by a six pack, a visually-impaired Niyo Bosco’s performance of songs like ‘Piyapuresha’ (Peer Pressure), ‘Seka’ and ‘Ubigenza Ute’ sent revelers mad all over the arena as he proved to everyone that disability is not inability. For Bruce Melodie, seeing fellow artistes supporting him during his 10-year music anniversary was a flawless indication that his music career was a shared journey which he believes will get even better in the next decade. As show host Arthur Nkusi welcomed him at 8:45 pm to own the stage for over two hours, the singer never disappointed. Clad in black and white outfits, the singer came to stage accompanied by a Symphony band dressed in Squid Game-esque outfits. As an artist who was celebrating 10 years in music, he chose to make his performance a chronological one as he started with ‘Tubivemo’ and ‘Telephone, the two songs which were instrumental in his breakthrough. “These songs are yours. So let’s sing them together,” the singer told revelers. From old releases like Bizashira, Indorerwamo, Ntujya Uhinduka, Uzandabure, Ntundize, and Ntujya Unkinisha to Ikinya Block and Ndakwanga which saw him win Primus Guma Guma Guma Super star season 8 and to his latest hits Kungola ft Sunny, ‘Hands Up’, ‘Saa Moya’, Karibu Nyumbani’ ft Zizou Alpacino, Katerina, Abu Dhabi, Ikinyafu, Bado and Katapila, among others, Bruce Melodie delivered the show of his career. During his performance, the singer took breaks to thank everyone who contributed to his career, as he introduced Ama G The Black as the artist who introduced him to the music industry. “I started music with Ama G The Black, we worked on many projects with him and he helped me a lot to settle in the industry,” he said of the rapper. His note of appreciation toward the rapper could hopefully end their beef which had been reported in the media for years. The singer also paid tribute to his old friend Jay Polly (RIP) with whom they recorded different songs. Time did not favor the singer, as he waved bye to the stage at a quarter to 11pm to mark the end of his two-hour performance in style. With Bruce Melodie living the best days of his music career so far, after establishing himself as Rwanda’s best musician of his generation to reckon with, one would wonder what the next decade of music holds for the singer. Time will tell.
