Rwandan artiste Christophe Muneza, popularly known as Christopher, has described his new album H₂O as a deliberate departure from the sound that has defined much of his career. The nine-track project — whose title stands for Harnessing Two Opposites — is Christopher’s third studio album, following Habona (2013) and Ijuru Rito (2017). Christopher first announced H₂O three years ago, with the lengthy production process partly explaining his brief absence from the music scene. “The main reason I went quiet for a while is because the album took much longer than I expected,” he told The New Times. “I didn’t want to rush it. I wanted to take time and really produce something new — something that sounds different from what people are used to hearing from me.” According to the singer, the entire project was intentionally crafted to explore a new musical taste, both sonically and creatively. “I wanted to make a completely new sound, different from what I’ve been doing over the years,” he said. The album features mostly new-generation artistes, including Kivumbi King, Angell Mutoni, and his brother Spin — a move Christopher says was key to achieving the sound he envisioned. “I’m a big fan of Kivumbi and Angell,” he said. “I like their music, and according to the sound I wanted for this project, they fitted perfectly. Working with younger artistes also pushed me out of my comfort zone.” Christopher added that supporting emerging talent was also a personal motivation. “I know what it means for new artistes to be recognised,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons I chose to feature them. I wanted to give them a platform and a chance to reach a wider audience.” H₂O includes the songs Ndicuza, Belong To Me, To Us, Nzaza featuring Massamba Intore, POZ, VOLE, Right Here featuring Spin and Kivumbi King, Party featuring Angell Mutoni, and Drunk. POZ, which was released months ahead of the album, is currently the only track with an official music video. Christopher revealed that visuals for the rest of the project are already in the pipeline. “We are already producing videos for some of the tracks,” he said. “The plan is to roll them out gradually so the music can continue reaching people in different ways.” Despite his confidence in the project, Christopher admitted he initially worried about its commercial performance. “To be honest, I was worried about the numbers,” he said. “I kept asking myself, ‘What if this album doesn’t do well?’ I had even prepared side projects to release just in case.” Those contingency plans were shelved after early listener feedback proved encouraging. “When I started seeing the positive reaction, I decided not to release those other projects,” he added. “It gave me confidence that people were really connecting with the music.” Over the years, Christopher has established himself as one of Rwanda’s most consistent R&B and pop voices, with popular songs such as Habona, Ijuru Rito, Abasitari, and Simusiga. With H₂O, he says he hopes to mark a new chapter in his artistic journey.
