Is boy group Urban Boys headed for a split? That is the speculation among many of the group’s fans, following Urban Boys lead singer Safi ‘Madiba’ Niyibikora’s civil marriage in Kigali, last Sunday.

Safi exchanged vows with his girlfriend Judith Niyonizera in a star-studded civil ceremony in Remera, before a traditional giveaway ceremony (gusaba) in Rebero, Kicukiro District.

The couple has scheduled their religious wedding for May 2018 in Canada, where Niyonizera has been living for several years.

Speculation has since been rife that the singer would permanently relocate to Canada, casting uncertainty over the future of Urban Boys.

Matters were not helped by the fact that the group’s other member, Humble Jizzo, is also expecting his first child with American girlfriend Amy Blauman, with speculation that he too could be relocating soon.

But in a phone interview with The New Times yesterday, Jizzo laughed off all the speculations, and assured their fans that the boys were not going separate ways anytime soon.

"It’s not true that we’re splitting,” said Jizzo. "I think we’re mature enough. We’ve been working together for very many years now, so just some members getting married won’t let us split. This is a long time career we’ve been building together,” he added.

Jizzo explained that, just like any other group, Urban Boys has had its disagreements among members before, but that whenever that happened, they have always sat down and resolved matters amicably.

"If we wanted to split, there is a right way to do it. We would call a news conference and talk to the media and our fans about it.”

He further pointed to the group’s latest single, Order, a collaboration with female rapper Oda Paccy, as further proof that the group is alive, well and intact.

The song’s lyric video is already drawing heavy viewer traffic on YouTube.

About the group

Urabn Boys is a pop and R&B trio, boasting three talented artistes, namely; James Manzi aka Humble Jizzo, Safi Niyibikora alias Madiba, and Muhammed Nshimiyimana, also known as Nizzo.

The musical group was formed in 2008 and rose to national fame with their debut album, Icyicaro Today.

Currently, the trio has more than 70 singles and six studio albums to their credit. Their cover tunes are pleasing to the ear, featuring beautiful melodies that create the perfect ambiance for music lovers. The group sings in Kinyarwanda, English and Swahili.

In August 2016, Urban Boys became the first group to win Rwanda’s leading music competition, Primus Guma-Guma Super Star music competition, that comes with the grand prize of Rwf24 million.

Some of the trio’s most famous songs include, Till I Die, Aragiye, My Rwanda, Adam Na Eva, Wampoye Iki and their latest track Mama.

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