Though Active Boys stormed the music scene in 2013 with their hit, Udukoryo twinshi, their first song was actually, Uri mwiza. 

The boy group first participated in Primus Guma Guma Superstar (PGGSS) competition in 2014, shortly before they clocked a year in the music industry as a set. They are in PGGSS5, participating for the second time.

The trio - Derek, Tizzo and Olivis – were both pursuing solo careers before they formed Active Boys. Their success is largely, but not limited, to their ability to entertain: they can both sing and dance. Tizzo, especially, kick started his career as a dancer before he began singing. This strength, however, is often criticized by people who say they dance more than they sing.

Analysts believe that Active Boys couldn’t get anywhere to scooping the prize money in the previous competition because they were still newcomers on the music scene and had very few songs.

Group member, Sano Derek dismissed the talk back then, but instead admitted that their participation was a motivation that asserted impact on local music scene, a promise of better days ahead.

So will the story be different this time? "Last time was our first,” Derek told The New Times. "Our fan base has since increased, and above all the evaluation of our performance is available to judge ourselves,” he says. He adds that they are now confident and it won’t be a miracle if they win. "The support has been overwhelming and we keep improving with each performance.”

His counterpart, Tizzo, admits that they have become more popular than they previously were but is uncertain if they can win this season. "For certain, we have grown and improved in various aspects,” he says. "But I can’t confidently say that we will win because the competition is stiff,” he adds. "But if we do, that will be a sign that we are good at what we do. There are bigger names that have been around for much longer than us.”

Whether they win or not, Active Boys still owes much of its success to PGGSS. The competition gave them a platform – is still doing so – to woo and win crowds onto their side. The results have made them one of the boy groups in Rwanda that managed to hook a sizeable number of fans in the shortest time.

They have always captivated the fans not only in PGGSS competitions, but in other concerts where they perform as well.

Primus Guma Guma Super Star is an annual Rwanda reality singing competition—started and organised by Bralirwa through its biggest mainstream brand - Primus. This is its 5th season and it ends on August 15, 2015.

Active Boys are competing with nine other artistes for Rwf24million grand prize. Previous winners of the competition are Tom Close, King James, Riderman and Jay Polly.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw