Ruti Joel's debut album, titled 'Musomandera,' has been a must-listen for the past few days. ALSO READ: Ruti Joel drops maiden album ‘Musomandera’ Apart from Yvan Buravan's contribution in composing some of the tracks, the 10-track album, which was officially released on January 10, features no other artists. It is worth noting that his fans were right to be excited about the album, as it is the renowned traditional singer's biggest project since he began making music in 2012. In an interview with The New Times, Ruti Joel expressed his gratitude to his Rwandan fans for their love and reaction to the album. I was surprised that when I sang some of the album's songs at the recent Ibihame by'Imana concert, almost everyone knew the lyrics by heart. It had only been four days, yet people were singing along, and it was so lovely to witness, he said. He went on to say that Musomandera, his mother's name and the title of the album, was a tribute to culture and reflects the beauty and richness of people of Rwanda. I wanted to talk about my country, language, culture, and love. I named it after my mother because we get the purest of love from a mother, which aligns with my message, he explained. Kinyarwanda is truly romantic, he said, referring to some of his songs like Cunda, Nyambo, Amaliza, and Akadege on his album. If lovers want, they can use them to declare their love. Our language is rich, and it just hits differently. Nobody could deny you love if you approached them in Kinyarwanda's poetic lines,” he said with a chuckle. According to Ruti Joel, Musomandera was produced by top Rwandan producers in varying genres that fuse traditional with modern sounds, allowing the songs to fit in a range of scenarios, like love declarations, traditional wedding ceremonies, patriotic pomps and so on. ALSO READ: Meet Joel Ruti, the next ‘gakondo’ star Joel Rumata, commonly known as Ruti Joel, is one of Rwanda's most promising traditional Rwandan artists. The singer began music in 2012, first as a backup singer for different local artists at concerts, and later grew to establish his own name in the Rwandan music industry with songs such as Igikobwa, Rasana, and Cyane, among others. Ruti also took part in 2022 music projects such as Rwanda Rw'ejo 2 and late Yvan Buravan's 'Twaje'.
