Tanzanian musician Marioo is expected in Kigali for a private visit during which will embark on yet-to-be-disclosed professional projects with Rwandan artistes, some of whom previously featured in his latest album, The Godson. Born Omary Ally Mwanga, the ‘Mama Amina’hitmaker will arrive in Kigali on Friday, May 16, just a day before Basketball Africa League (BAL) Nile Conference commences. However, according to a source, “the Dar es Salaam-based singer will not be involved in any BAL gigs, as his trip is exclusively on meetings and interactions with fellow Rwandan artistes as well as his fans.” “It’s a friendly visit tour with potential music projects also on the agenda,” the source told The New Times. “He is a friend of some local artistes like Element Eleeeh, Kenny Sol, Kevin Kade, and The Ben, thus, it’s timely to be in Kigali for in-person interaction and more of his music promotion.” Element Eleeeh and Kenny Sol have been featured on ‘The Godson’ album, which Marioo released in November 2024. The album also includes collaborations with prominent names in African music like countrymen Alikiba and Harmonize, as well as Kenya’s Bien, Ghanaian star King Promise, and Nigeria’s Patoranking. Particularly, Element Eleeeh worked extensively on the album where he produced two of his tracks ‘Njozi’ and ‘Happiness’, with the latter featuring Kenny Sol. Marioo, 30, known for hits like Bia Tamu, Mama Amina, Dear Ex, Raha, Mi Amor, and Naogopa, has established himself as a household name in Tanzania and broader East African music since stepping into the spotlight in 2015. However, it was in 2020, with the rise of Amapiano that he gained wider recognition, especially after releasing ‘Mama Amina’ and ‘Naogopa’ featuring Harmonize, the two releases proved his talent. Embed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4kw5Wdwq0A&pp=ygUGTWFyaW9v0gcJCYsJAYcqIYzv Currently, he remains one of the top-charting Bongo Flava artistes, with his recent hit “Tete” dominating the airwaves in Tanzania. The song features his baby mama, Paula Kajala, a daughter of Tanzanian actress Kajala Masanja and ex-girlfriend of Harmonize, as a video vixen. In the song, Marioo praises Paula as an amazing woman, ranking her next to his mother in terms of love and importance in his life. Rwandan music fans have particularly been drawn to The Ben's song 'Baby,' which features the Tanzanian singer. The song is part of The Ben's album which he released ealrier this year.
