There is no doubt that 2020 has unveiled many potential artistes both secular and gospel. Shalom Biggy Tuyisenge, 25, a.k.a ‘Biggy Shalom’ is among them. He is an upcoming gospel artiste who like many others, his singing was groomed in Sunday school at a tender age. He believes he developed a strong relationship with his creator and felt it was necessary to continue ministering to God through music. Although he has written a big number of songs, this year, the resident of Rubavu district was able to release four songs. Namely, “Imana ni Nziza”, “Ndi kumwe nawe”, “Ineza” and “Kimbiliyo”. “Kimbiliyo”, a Swahili song was released last week. The song encourages believers that God remains good, no matter the situation they are passing through and that He accepts and guides people through temptations. In 2019, ‘Biggy Shalom’ got some training in music production and this year, he was able to start his music label known as “Abasellafy Empire.” Through his label, he produced his recent song “Kimbiliyo,” which was exciting for him as he can now support his career as a music producer, hence preventing disappointments by producers that sometimes hinder musicians from releasing their songs on time. “Although I try my best to produce good music, the biggest challenge I encounter, however, is lack of promotion as my songs haven’t yet reached the public, this somehow discourages me,” the gospel vocalist notes. Also, the lack of enough fubnds to organise concerts and make good quality videos is still a problem. For instance, his videos range from about Rwf300, 000 or above, which takes him some time to save for that money. ‘Biggy Shalom’ occasionally sells clothes and shoes- a side income that helps him sustain his new music production business. Regardless of the challenges he is facing, he is not about to give up his career path as he is following Jesus’ example. “Even though he met trials, he still preached the gospel, anyway,” he said. Biggy Shalom grew his fan base following on his YouTube channel in July, after doing and uploading a gospel cover song “Tambula naange” by the late Mowzey Radio.
