Sea stars is an up and coming live band that comprises four artistes, namely Esther Ishimwe, Lydia Abijuru, Neema Umutesi and Agape Queen. The group journeyed through music individually till 2022 when they decided to sing together as a collective. Being sisters, Neema, Esther and Lydia grew up in the same household, whereas Agape is a cousin. Their parents have a music background and that influenced their initial interest in the craft, thereafter prompting their desire to pursue music professionally. All four of them attended the Nyundo School of Arts and Music and that gave them a head start on their singing careers, which they pursued both individually and as a group. Right after completing their studies at Nyundo School of Arts and Music, the group joined a band by the name of “Nep Queens” and eventually had to part ways due to irreconcilable management discrepancies. The group then redefined themselves as “sea-stars” which is very symbolic to the relationships they’ve developed with one another over the years, the sisterhood they share being a prominent source of support. The band explores different genres of music that have debuted through live performances in numerous gigs that have kept them afloat for a while. According to Ishimwe, 23, one of the hardships they’ve dealt with is navigating their way through a male dominated industry, which is made obvious by how difficult it is to book a gig for the group as opposed to solo gigs. “Kigalians have not embraced the concept of a girl band. Nobody questions why a boy band isn’t gender inclusive but when a couple of girls decide to make something together, society expects a boy to be involved, and that shouldn’t be the case,” she said. Despite the difficulty of booking gigs for the group, the Sea-stars prefer to persevere because their collaborative effort creates a unique sound they wouldn’t be able to achieve on their own. The band aspires to be world renowned in the future and their short term goals include releasing the records they’ve held on to for a while.
