Singer Bruce Melodie has lived up to his word and released a song in ‘Gakondo’ style, after he promised to put a stop on overly sexualised lyrics and venture into ‘more positive music’ but his first song has been met by disapproval from some of his fans, who are encouraging him to remain true to his original style. For many, the ‘Saa Moya’ singer, though talented, ‘Gakondo’ traditional style is not his cup of tea and should stick to his original Afrobeat and R&B style. The observations came after Bruce Melodie, real name Bruce Itahiwacu, outed his first ‘Gakondo’ style song. The song named “24”, which features little known Diaspora artiste Charles Shima, has been warmly welcomed by many who feel that it is nice and fits well within the context of country and culture but his other fans have in equal measure encouraged him to continue with his original style. The song, which was uploaded on YouTube on October 23, is a fusion of the traditional Gakondo style and hip hop. “24 is a song in which a young Rwandan reflects on his absence from his motherland and what he felt when he came back 24 years later. This is a story that many people who have been uprooted can relate to. A story of how he missed his home and how he found it in the melodic voice of East Africa’s most popular Artiste - Bruce Melodie,” the synopsis of the song reads. Although many in their comments applauded Bruce Melodie for being talented and fitting in all genres, Twitter users were particularly not impressed. “Bamporiki should not make you kill your own career. Continue in the path you were in, otherwise you are finished,” commented one Emmanuel Rukundo, predicting the switch to ‘Gakondo’ as the end of the singer’s impressive musical career. “You are a master of your own voice,” observed one Kate Kobusinge, who was impressed by Bruce Melodie’s ability to adjust to the new genre, adding that “continue, it will work out”. Amb Olivier Nduhungirehe is also among those who commended Bruce Melodie’s new approach, encouraging him to continue in that line. “Thank you, Bruce. Nice music, nice text... and nice voice. Always on top!” Nduhungirehe tweeted. In a cryptic tweet, Bamporiki also applauded Bruce Melodie for the move, saying: You should never let gold like this get lost in trash in reference to the song, urging the singer to sustain the momentum. Ntimukemere izahabu nkiyi itakara mu bishingwe. Komereza aho. https://t.co/qwOtTSWURh — Bamporiki Edouard (@Bamporikie) October 25, 2020 “As I promised, my “Gakondo” journey begins now. #24 is out now,” Bruce Melodie tweeted, sharing a link to the song. Many, however, accused the singer of succumbing to pressure following recent criticism from the Minister of State for Culture, Edouard Bamporiki, who accused musicians, including Bruce Melodie of sexualising their music through explicit lyrics. Bamporiki during a TV appearance said that under his watch, the Government cannot support artists who have strayed from the culture and values of the country to promote fornication through music. Some social media users accused Bruce Melodie of bending to pressure, with the likes of Richard Kwizera, a local journalist, encouraging him to listen to the feedback of his fans and do the needful. However, others were in defence of the singer, saying that over the years he has proved to be versatile and showed his ability to switch from one genre to another with ease. He has gone as far as attempting ‘Rock n Roll’ in his old songs such as ‘Uzandabure’ while the likes of ‘Henzapu’ can be categorized as hip hop.
