After having a break since March, the Kigali Jazz Junction is back with a Franco-Anglo fusion themed edition slated for next month. The organisers, RG-consult confirmed French Zouk guru Patrice Sylveste better known by his stage name Slai, as the main headliner alongside Uganda based Rwandan female artiste Lilian Mbabazi. The show will take place on July 1 at its former venue, Camp Kigali. The previous edition took place on March 25, and featured a renowned Nigerian Afrobeat star Timaya. Talking to The New Times about the show, Axelle Umutesi, Communications Consultant at RG-Consult, said that Kigali Jazz junction is hosting Slai again due to public demand, considering how he put up one of the biggest shows in Kigali last time. “Slai is a french zouk artiste that put up one of the best shows in Kigali and I guess people did not get enough of him hence the demand for his return,” she said adding that he will be backed by Neptunez band and Nep DJs. Umutesi further noted that the upcoming edition is a different theme concert called “Franco-Anglo Fusion” to cater for both the Anglophone and Francophone music lovers of Kigali. Lilian Mbabazi who is a Rwandan R&B singer based in Uganda will be the Anglo part of this theme event according to Umutesi. “This edition is very special, apart from taking back our former venue (Camp Kigali) that most of our audience loved, this edition will give a wide range of music, from Jazz music, zouk, to RnB, afrobeat and many others. We can guarantee that this edition will be unforgettable and we urge everyone not to miss such a lifetime concert,” said Mutesi. Born in the Val-d’Oise region of France in 1973, Slaï is a French singer of Guadeloupe origin. He first made musical waves in 1988, following the release of the single Flamme that won him a huge following especially in the Caribbean region. That same year, he released his debut album Fresh, and the self-titled Slaï in 2002 as a follow up, both albums gaining a huge following both in the Caribbean mainland, and in Caribbean immigrant communities in France. In 2000, he scooped two awards at the Tropical Music Awards; Best-selling song, Flamme, and Revelation of the Year (masculine). His other albums include Florilege, Caraibes, and Escale. Early bird tickets for the concert are already available on www.rgtickets.com.
