He might not make headlines daily or top local charts, but Bill Ruzima is what you would call a ‘complete’ musician. When he sings, you wonder why he is not regularly played locally, or why he never tops the charts, but that is not something that worries him. The 23-year-old singer and guitarist believes in five or 10 years, his music will be at the level he wants it to be. For a child who grew up playing sports, including karate, and had dreams of becoming a soldier, music became a calling for Ruzima. “I grew up loving music and when I discovered that it was my talent, I said since I’ve been in big and different societies, I have to do music to be a voice of the people, speak out on what I see and let the world listen to my message which is love, peace and unity,” Ruzima says. Born in a family of talented musicians, Ruzima followed in the footsteps of his mother and siblings and started singing early, writing everything he saw or thought and turning it into music. Ruzima says his music is Afro soul, and drew inspiration from the likes of Prince and Michael Jackson, whom he says were amazing performers with creativity and great personalities. He is also inspired by Bob Marley, Cecile Kayirebwa, Mani Martin, Sauti Sol, Ben Ngabo Kipeti and Stevie Wonder. It’s not just about looking up to them, Ruzima’s dream is to create music that reflects progress. “Yesterday is never like tomorrow in my career. My music progress always makes me feel more passionate. There is a big difference between me of 2019 and me of 2021 in music. That keeps me more passionate,” he says. “In the next 5 or 10 years, I expect my music to heal a bigger audience, restoring hearts, spreading love and bringing hope,” the ‘Zirikana’ singer says. Through his music, Ruzima seeks to know and understand better his Rwandan and African roots, as a way of regularly improving himself. The performing artiste and songwriter, who was born in Mukingo, Gatagara, Nyanza District in Southern Province, started a solo career in 2019 after graduating from Nyundo School of Music and Art in 2018. It is one thing to be talented and another to study music, says Ruzima, and it is a dream he was determined to pursue. “After O-level, I wanted to study music but I ended up studying construction at G.S Indangaburezi for one year, then I decided to go after my dream at Nyundo where I took a three-year music course,” Ruzima says. In third year, he was elected the head boy, also getting to explore his leadership skills. As an artiste, he is driven by knowing that there is someone out there who values what he does and is healed or helped by his music. He also learned that when you’re an artiste in this world, you haven’t found yourself yet, everyone wants you to go their way, live the same life they lived, and you always have an inferiority complex that prevents you from being the real you. It wasn’t until he was able to get rid of that that he discovered himself and the style that suits him. Today, Ruzima has been invited to perform at different events, including Kigali Jazz Junction, Amani Festival in DRC in 2017 and 2020, Hamwe Festival 2020, European Union Peace Concert 2021, and recently HE performed at the opening of French Institute. He previously performed with Carole Karemera on her play called “Our House”, exploring his acting skills as well. When he is not making music or performing, Ruzima loves playing with kids and doing sports, among other hobbies. His motto? Love is the key that opens peace in every person’s life and spreads it to people around. Peace and love to the world is the message he carries in his music.
