REMEMBER RAS KAYAGA, the man behind the famous song “Maguru”? For over a decade, the musician disappeared from the music scene for reasons linked to his family...but his song always stood out! The musician, born Ibrahim Nahimana, had focused on taking care of his family since they shifted to Belgium in 2011. His life had changed and, hence, music barely had a place in his daily plans. “When you have a family out there, you put everything aside and focus on their welfare. I had to take care of the kids with my wife. That way, I could not focus on music anymore,” the singer says. Known for his popular song ‘Maguru’, Ras Kayaga enjoyed the best moments during his short spell in music before he left for Belgium. He spared some time for studio sessions and recorded numerous songs with Kigali-based music producers but none of them finished his music projects, in what he calls one of the biggest disappointments in his music career. “There are a number of songs that I recorded. Unfortunately, I had to give up on them because the producers delayed finalizing their production,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that we have producers that delay artists’ music projects. There are artists who have projects that last over a year in the studio and choose to keep quiet about it, even if they are not happy, to calm the situation down,” he claimed. “I remember one producer was working on my songs at a studio based in Rugando and I wanted him to finish the songs before I left for Belgium. But he made me wait for the songs until I decided to leave without having them finalized,” the singer recalls. “When Pastor P came to work in the studio, he found my songs in the machine. He vowed to resume and finalize them because the producer he replaced left them unfinished. I told him to leave them to avoid any disputes with the producer,” he further claimed. Ras Kayaga had to pause his music until he returned to Rwanda early in 2022. The 40-year-old singer told The New Times that he will not give up on music despite his challenges. He is now working on a comeback as he looks to rebuild his name that he established so fast between 2009-2010. “I am now ready to start where I stopped and reinvent a new vibe among my music audience. I am back!” he added. The singer is now preparing to drop a new song titled ‘Ngunda’ anytime soon, which he composed in the same genre/ style as that of ‘Maguru’. The singer is considering doing more songs around the tales of Rwandan literature as he seeks to give his music an identity that generations will remember him for. His new song ‘Ngunda’, for instance, reflects on a traditional tale about Ngunda, a powerful and hardworking giant who was always hungry and thirsty. It is said that all the hills in Rwanda are actually mounds that Ngunda prepared to grow potatoes. Given how ‘Maguru’ became a hit, “Ngunda” could go viral should the singer pull up a song that is totally relevant to the man who has a big history in what could be one of the most famous tales told in Rwandan literature. “I am working on the video though it could be an expensive one given the materials it requires to make it relevant to the tale itself. I can do songs in other styles but my focus is on tales because this is where I want to create my music identity,” the singer said. Besides the song, the singer is planning a ‘comeback concert’ at Institut Francais in December where he expects to reunite with his audience and perform for them the best of his music. Ras Kayaga has two albums to his name and is now planning to work on another that he intends to release in 2023.
