I Stopped Trying to Get Collaborations With Western Artistes – Cindy Sanyu

By Muhamadi Matovu

Renowned singer Cinderella Sanyu, popularly known as Cindy Sanyu, has spoken out against what she described as one-sided collaborations with Western artistes, saying they rarely benefit African musicians.

Cindy, a celebrated figure in Uganda’s music industry, revealed she no longer pursues collaborations with artistes from Western countries, citing lack of reciprocity and support from their side.

“I stopped trying to get collaborations with Western artistes because we are the only ones who push for the collaborations, they do not. It is one-sided,” Cindy said.

The Boom Party hitmaker explained that the primary goal of collaborating with international artistes is to tap into their markets, not to re-establish oneself locally.

However, Cindy lamented that many Western artists fail to promote joint projects in their own territories, making the effort unprofitable.

“The only reason I would want to work with them is to push my music into their market, not my own market. I am already established here,” she stated.

“If you are not going to help on that side, we better leave the collaborations,”she added.

Cindy described such collaborations as a “lousy investment,” highlighting that Western artists often neglect to promote the songs in their markets, leaving African artistes to do all the heavy lifting.

Her remarks reflect frustrations shared by many African musicians, who often view collaborations with Western artistes as a pathway to global exposure, only to be met with limited support.