Dan Ngalamulume, aka Ngaara, is ready to take on the Rwandan music scene by storm with his 14- track album, ‘Amaraso’ that was released on September 18.

The singer’s debut album was co-produced by Antik Dust and Green Ferry Music, with Dr Nganji as the audio producer and Ngaara, as the creative director.

‘Amaraso’ is a project with both highs and lows, unheard before. To add more life to the body of work, Ngaara created an unseen and unique piece of art titled, ‘Colored Visions’ that served as the album cover.

‘Amaraso’, a Kinyarwanda word for blood, to Ngaara represents a strong human bond, one so fragile that a drop on the ground spreads a feeling of endangerment like nothing else we know.  In the album he explores his relationship with ties, family or otherwise, the world, and himself from every perspective.

In some songs he takes on a meditative approach, while on others he is not shy of being cocky, yet still delivering subtle messages.

Going solo

In 2019, Ngaara together with his creative colleagues Mvfasta and Neriwest embarked on a journey to explore the world of creative arts. They debuted their first album ‘Exit’ as AntikDusts’.

A year and a half later, the album earned them enough attention to convince them of a shared but solo musical career.

Asked to explain what that means, Antik Dust said: "We were never a group. We are creative individuals who strongly believe in collaboration. There’s an abundance of spices when people are working together. This time around, we embodied a trinity, holy if you like. But you’ll have to wait and watch it unfold.”

Alongside Mvfasta, they create an electric zynergy to introduce a point of view of themselves in a completely different place as the one described above: a chaotic, loud, wild and raging environment, a space filled with restless people always fighting for the top spot.

‘20, 30’ is both Ngaara and Mvfasta’s song sharing their perspective and way around that type of energy considering what they know now and what they’re becoming. Ngaara released his second single off the album on September 11, ‘Sin-Buka’ a fast-paced tale of a traveler with the bloody drums, a narrative inspired from his own personal experiences.

"A very personal piece” he says, "the concept, the album, the entire process, watching it unfold, allowed me to find myself, be myself.”

What he hoped and hopes to achieve most through his art is leaving his mark on the world, paving a way for anyone else who’d be inspired to do what he’s doing or more, and just being his purest self in the process. 

"For anyone who will be listening and watching, I want to inspire being and staying true to who you are, finding yourself in the midst of the world’s and mind’s chaos. I want my work to bring out and inspire the best and purest version of myself and of others” he says.

Born in Kigali, to a Congolese father and Rwandan mother, he was raised in Nyamirambo, Kigali. Growing up in a close community, he was both an interactive and curious child largely influenced by comic books and animated TV shows.

He developed a passion for drawing through which he explored and found ways to uncover new things.