Fast-rising Rwandan traditional singer Clarisse Karasira is making headlines hours after she released her brand new song ‘Rutaremara’ in tribute to one of her ‘biggest fans’ Tito Rutaremara. The song may have been released to the public, on Wednesday, November 25, but it is not new to the former Member of Parliament in the Senate house after she performed it for him during his birthday celebration on Saturday, November 21. Rutaremara is respected by many, thanks to the role he played in RPF-Inkotanyi, in liberating the country from the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The female singer said that she made the song to appreciate his love for her music and herself as a musician. “I watched him, in different media interviews, confessing his love hfor my music and it really touched me,” the female singer told The New Times. Female traditional artiste Clarisse Karasira. “There are people who love you but choose to keep it themselves. But when I met him, he immediately opened up to me and told me ‘I love your lyrics, I got emotional. I thought of doing this song to show not only him but all my supporters that I recognize their love for my music,” she added. When Karasira quit journalism to launch a music career in 2017, she thought only a few would like her music. She however, has received support from both Rwanda and abroad showed support in a way that she never expected. Tito Rutaremara is one of the big fans of Karasira’s music. “When journalists asked me which artiste I support most, Karasira immediately came to my mind because I like the her music. A journalist once surprised me and brought her to my house and she sang for me live. I was so happy to see my favorite artiste singing for me,” he told The New Times. That day Karasira promised to compose a song for him. After finalizing it, Karasira took the audio to Rutaremara. He danced to it and as promised to feauture in the video. “I thought it was a joke but I was so surprised when she came back with the song. I had to dance to it because I had made a promise. Because of her good music, Karasira now like a daughter to me,” he said. ‘Rutaremara’ is one of 18 culture-inspired songs that make up Karasira’s debut album ‘Inganzo y’Imitima’ that she hopes to release in December to celebrate her three-year music journey that she started in 2017.
