A Pass Says Discipline, Not Talent, Holds Ugandan Artistes Back

During an interview on KFM, A Pass faced a simple but pointed question: what do Ugandan artistes lack most: talent, discipline, or vision?

He chose discipline and explained why he believes many artistes fall short in that area.

Instead of dismissing talent, the singer, born Alexander Bagonza, explained that music does not follow one standard.

In his view, the industry includes different levels of artistes, and that balance matters.

They lack discipline. Talent, I think, is very subjective. People create music differently because it is an art form. Art comes in different layers. There are amateur artistes, and then there are very exceptional artistes. So there is a balance, and we need everyone.

He then addressed the idea that every artiste should be talented and said that expectation does not reflect reality.

You cannot say that someone has to be top and we only have top artistes. It is impossible. There is no school you have been to where everyone gets 99%. It is impossible.

Turning to how artistes judge each other, A Pass pushed back against dismissing people based on talent alone and argued that discipline and direction often matter more.

You cannot beat down people because they are not talented. I feel like if someone is disciplined, hardworking, and knows what they are trying to do, that person can go further than an artiste who is actually very talented.

He also explained how that difference plays out, saying artistes who rely on talent often become comfortable, while those without it push themselves to improve.

People who are talented tend to depend on talent. People who do not have talent get serious. They will go and put in a lot of hard work to improve, maybe their stage performances, maybe vocally. They will put in a lot of effort, and they actually come good and do a better job than someone who is talented, because the talented one may even be very timid.

In the end, A Pass beleives the gap between artistes comes down to effort and discipline, not just ability.