Kidumu: King of live music

Nairobi-based Burundian music maestro Kidumu performed in Kigali over the weekend and proved why he remains the king of live shows in East Africa.The singer, who is popular in Rwanda, on Saturday, charmed guests and residents of the Northern Province during the eighth edition of Kwita Izina (Gorilla Naming), before performing to a full-to-capacity crowd at the New Cadillac Night Club, located in the Kimihurura surburb of Kigali.Jean Pierre Nimbona, better known by his stage name Kidumu Kibido, thrilled fans at the club belting out his songs backed-up by a band including Canadian-based Rwandan singer Mighty Popo to the delight of revellers.At some point, the club management could not allow in any more people as the club was filled to capacity.The singer/songwriter performed at least 10 songs, giving his fans value for their money. The entrance fee was Rwf5,000.Kidumu performed “Hatarudi nyuma”, a catchy track that featured Ugandan songstress Juliana Kanyomozi before he sang “Kipenda Roho”, yet another collaboration with Rwandan Canada-based singer Frankie Joe.The chubby singer, whose energy matches his size, also performed “Mapenzi” and “Shamba” before inviting Jean Paul Samputu to the stage. The “Kilimanjaro Music Award” winner paid tribute to music legend Samputu, describing him as one of the greatest Rwandan artistes alive.“I am honoured to be here with my big brother Samputu,” Kidumu said to the nearly teary Samputu. “I want to pay tribute to him ahead of his 50th birthday, which will take place when I am out of the country. I respect and honour you.” Kidumu and Samputu then performed the song “Nimuze tubyine”, together. The track is one of the latter’s major hits, and later performed the traditional Kinyarwanda hit song “Nyaruguru”.It was then that Intore Masamba joined the two legends on stage to perform his duet with Kidumu “Wapi Ye”, and later paid tribute to Samputu too.In the words of those who attended the show, the show was fantastic. The music was awesome, the sound was unbelievable and, of course, Kidum, showed why he still commands a huge following in the country.“I am impressed. Kidumu is the King of live music in the region. He is very big,” said Jean Umuhoza. “I loved every bit of his performance, his energy and the fact that he makes live performances look easy.”The show organiser Cobra Production was also impressed by the turn up. According to Cobra, the night club plans to unplug all big artistes from the region soon.“We will be bringing them to perform once in a while, the likes of Jose Chameleone, Bebe Cool, and others who have made a name in the region,” said Cobra, the proprietor of new Cadillac, which recently opened a VIP section known as Kibota.

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Kidumu: King of live music