AFTER A DECADE-LONG JOURNEY of dropping singles, dancehall singer Sintex is now preparing to finally release his debut album before the end of this year as he continues to push and establish himself among Rwanda’s renowned dancehall musicians. His latest song ‘Karitsiye’ which he dropped last week became his first single on the 12-track album. He dropped it after busy days in the studio with a number of producers recording the album. The audio of the song was produced by Odilo and was mastered and mixed by X On The Beat and Motif while the video was directed by Bernard Bagenzi. According to Sintex, the song is a summer vibe which he released to give those who love his music a reason to celebrate and party with their families while at home. “I know we are going through a tricky situation due to the pandemic but music can always be there to move you from boredom to amusement. Its the only way to get out of boredom for music lovers,” he said. It is under Arthur Nation’s management that Sintex’s dancehall gained exposure. Under Arthur Nation’s management, which is owned by his comedian brother Arthur Nkusi, Sintex released a number of songs which made it to the local radio top charts, especially the likes of ‘You and I’, ‘Icyoroshye’, ‘Superstar’ and ‘Twifunze’ among others. His management put in a lot of effort to push Sintex music and give it a fair exposure in the local scene and in the region. The singer was incredibly motivated to work harder in his music and earn a growing fan base across the country and was, as a result, invited to perform at big concerts like Iwacu Muzika, Kigali Jazz Junction among others. As he edges closer to releasing his debut album, the singer told The New Times an album can sum up what he has achieved in music. “I believe this is the right time to release an album as a result of what I have so far achieved in my music career. I had to wait for my music to earn exposure and grow my fan base,” he explained. The album comprises of singles and some collaborations with local artists and some with musicians from different East African countries and beyond. Before recording his debut album, Sintex already had an extended Play (EP) under his belt, dubbed ‘My Vibes’, which he released in March last year to ‘respond to growing requests from his fans’ during the pandemic. The EP had six song including ‘Calculator’, ‘Jangolo’, ‘Love Story’, ‘Friday’, ‘Gahunda’ and ‘Midnight Call’, all of which were recorded by different producers including Knox Beat, Papito, Ibalab, Bob Pro, Holybeat, and Danny Beats. Born Arnold Kabera, Sintex has been doing music since 2012, just days after completing his secondary school studies in Uganda where he was popular as a dancer, but with little visibility. Since 2016, his profile has been on a steady rise, thanks to a handful of singles and collaborations like ‘Ndabyimenyera’, ‘Let’s talk About Love’, and ‘Why’, as well as collaborations with a string of local musicians.