Meet Caleb, the rising star of traditional music

From being a backup singer to owning a band and later joining Gakondo; a traditional music group, one can easily say Bientot Caleb was born to be a musician. He worked with various musicians before he joined Gakondo Group headed by renowned traditional musician Intore Masamba. The New Times’ Susan Babijja had an interview with the 25-year-old artiste well-known by his fans as Le Noble p. Below are the excerpts. What inspired you to join music? The love for music made me join the industry. I have always loved music from childhood. Which particular instrument do you play? I play drums and percussions. These are totally different and complicated from others because they require more energy and the natural rhythm in you. Playing the two requires a unique skill. Was drumming part of your childhood? No, even my parents did not want to see me playing drums. They used to tell me that music is nothing in life. They used to say that I cannot perform well in class in case I continue with music. However, I was really crazy with music and I did not give up. What was your first experience after joining the music industry? My first experience was not all that rosy because I thought when you become famous, it means money and becoming rich, but this was definitely a wrong perception. People who believe that musicians are rich are wrong because the life on stage is not the real life behind the scenes. Musicians live like the rest of the people, or sometimes even worse than what you expect. Do you see any future in Gakondo? Absolutely there is a bright future for the group because we are working so hard and we also have contracts. When you look back, what do you consider you have achieved from being a musician? Well, what I consider to have achieved is making more connections with people. I must say that all that I have, including my education is because of music. I believe there is a lot more to come. No regrets so far. Who is your favourite artiste in Rwanda? I like Masamba Intore because of his vocals. He is a very talented musician especially when it comes to traditional music. And your favourite song? Call the Man by Celine Dion. I love that song. Are you married? (Laughs) No, I was in relationship but we just broke up recently and I am now searching.

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Meet Caleb, the rising star of traditional music