Where Has Jamal Wasswa Been? The Singer Explains His Silence
Ugandan Afro soul and RnB singer Jamal Wasswa is still very much active in music, even if he has not been a regular face on local stages lately.
For some time, fans have wondered about his whereabouts and whether he quietly stepped away from the industry.
Jamal says that assumption is far from the truth.
His absence from public stages has more to do with the kind of work he has been doing and where he has been doing it.
Speaking to entertainment analyst Eddie Sendi, he explained that his recent journey has involved movement, private performances, and audiences far beyond Uganda.
It has been a while. I have been up and down. Sometimes I do shows that are not public.
Jamal revealed that many of his performances happen outside Uganda and away from the usual spotlight that comes with local concerts.
At times I travel outside Uganda and perform at shows that are not for Ugandans, or shows that Ugandans do not know about. I do not even post the show posters. I go and perform for different cultures and different audiences.
Because most of his music is sung in Luganda, many people often wonder how foreign audiences connect to his sound.
Jamal says the connection goes beyond language.
He noted that while Ugandan listeners often like to define music by genre, audiences elsewhere approach music with fewer boundaries.
Here in Uganda, people like to categorize music into types. But there are people in the world who love to listen to music even when they do not understand the language.
According to Jamal, melody and sound are what draw these listeners in, not lyrical meaning.
Melody and sound are what they look out for. They would not even try to find out what you mean. They come to concerts to hear something they have never heard before, a sound that feels different to them.
He added that his music has found unexpected uses among listeners abroad.
Some people even use it for meditation and many other things.
Even if he rarely appears on local stages, Jamal Wasswa is quietly taking his music to audiences around the world, one private performance at a time.
