Sherry Uwase, 24, is one of the new forces to reckon with as far as gospel music in Rwanda is concerned. She has performed at several gospel concerts in Kigali, at Christian Life Assembly and St. Etienne, as well as weddings and parties. On the 16th of this month, she organised a solo acoustic night at The Mirror Hotel in Remera where she captivated a fully packed hall of music lovers with amazing performances of Christmas carols. Being her first concert, the massive attendance looked to be a sure signal that she has a bright future in the industry. “I was amazed by the big numbers. I got inspired. I always get inspired by the support,” Uwase said. Who is Uwase? She describes herself as “an ambitious woman who sets goals and strives to achieve them.” Uwase with friends at the show in Remera last week. (Courtesy) Besides her public face as a singer, song writer, and guitarist; Uwase also works in digital marketing business. Musically, she does inspiring gospel music. Her instrument of power is her vocals and the core message of her songs is the Love of God. The music career “Granny said I started singing as early as I learnt talking,” she says. For writing, she says she began writing songs when she was 10 years old, and presently she has written about 40 songs. She mainly composes the songs using the guitar. Her talent has been and is still being nurtured in church. She recorded her debut album dubbed Mbikeshuwiteka in 2014 while still at university. The recording work for the seven songs on the album was done in Kenya. The songs on the album mainly talk about Christ and life situations in the Biblical perspective. Beliefs She believes in God, The Bible and The Holy Spirit. She likewise believes in prayer to achieve dreams. She also believes in perseverance to achieve her dreams. “ I spend time reading inspirational stories of successful people who faced challenges but finally overcame,” she says. Future plans She looks to launch her album in 2017. She says she wanted to launch it at the beginning of 2016 but failed mainly due to financial constraints and she, therefore, decided to do something simpler, thus doing the acoustic night. About the music industry “The music industry is survival for the fittest. It is a hustle, especially, when it gets to the finances one needs to organise a concert. Sponsorship for artistes’ events is not easily got and, this has seen many artistes fail,”she says. She financed the acoustic night she staged herself. She also says music requires a lot of time and concentration. She, at times, sleeps late as she tries to write and edit her songs. Inspiration and future prospects She is inspired by American Acapella group, Pentatonix. She loves to listen to their music. She wants to go to school for music. “I want to learn more in terms of instruments and vocals. The guitar skills I have are all self-taught, mostly from YouTube,” she says. She also dreams of starting an initiative of teaching young Rwandans music in the future. Her main goal is to make good music that will touch many hearts across the world. She believes that in the future, she will be able to sell her music to different countries across the world. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
