PROBABLY many of us have heard and danced away to her music, but never put a face to the name. Pretty Glo, alias Gloria Ingabire, is a Rwandan musician based in Uganda. She is known for songs like Umpora ku Mutima, Ndagukunda and her latest hit Wanna Get High Privately. 

Pretty Glo had a humble beginning. She grew up in Nyamirambo, Kigali and left for Uganda in 1997. It is from there that she was to start an eccentric career in music. She started out in the infamous Wafagio in 2009, an all-girl music group known for their famous hit, Mukidongo, but later opted for a solo career in 2010. It is from this point that she adopted the name Pretty Glo as suggested by her friend Qute Kaye, a Ugandan artiste.

The solo career she opted for brought to fruition the best of her with her Missed Call, album that had songs like Missed Call, in collaboration with Fidempa, a Kenyan artiste; Ndagukunda, a very popular song in Kigali; and Gwe Wankuba among others.

"Nothing comes easy and the music industry can at times become frustrating,” says Pretty Glo. 

She has had collaborations with other notable musicians like Alpha Rwirangira of Rwanda in Mulungi Nyo song and Gift of Cuddle with Denis Rakla. It is through these many connections that she has been able to build a reputation in the region through her several performances over time.

Her versatility in music has seen her have many club hit bangers in genres like R&B and Dancehall music. She draws inspiration from her ever encouraging mother, Whitney Houston and Irene Namubiru of Uganda. 

The music industry has taught her to be shrewd, sharpened her business acumen and to be patient at the same time. With challenges like managing herself, promoting her music and rivalry in the industry, she looks to God to pave the right and safest way for her.

Asked whether she intends to return to Rwanda, she says "Home is where my heart is and I shall forever cherish and build the image of Rwanda everywhere I go”. In a way, her music preserves and reminds her of her heritage especially her songs like Ndagukunda.

Her music is inspired by true life events and says she hasn’t exhausted the story of her life yet. So she will keep singing. She avows that everything worth doing is worth doing well and with a notable producer, Washington, the sky is the limit for her. She maintains that she will purposefully contribute to the development of the Rwandan music industry.

Her advice to young musicians and those with any passion is to pursue it relentlessly.