In early 2010s, following the rise of West African musicians such as Wizkid, Tekno Miles and Davido, Rwandan artistes started making Afrobeats which involves the combination of West African musical styles like Fuji music and highlife with American jazz. The likes of Elion Victory, Urban Boys and Bruce Melodie among many other local artistes adopted the sound and it vastly captured the attention of Rwandan music community and become Kigali’s new favourite music style. ALSO READ: What’s behind Rwanda’s emerging gospel music takeover? In 2015, a new artiste joined the new movement and he has since then produced timeless hits and mastered the art of music. The artiste is David Icyishaka, commonly known on stage as Davis D. He rose to stardom in 2015 thanks to his then hit track single ‘Biryogo,’ which currently ranks among top Afrobeats classic songs ever produced in Rwandan music industry. Davis D is back on the spotlight after announcing the celebration of his 10-year anniversary in the game. It will be marked under his concert dubbed ‘Shine Boy Fest’. Speaking to The New Times, the artiste, who often identifies himself as Shine Boy, said that the concert, slated for November 30, is not only a celebration of his musical journey, but the growth of Rwandan music in general. “Celebrating 10 years feels like a small jubilee to me. I remember producing ‘Biryogo’ like it was yesterday, and the rest is history worth celebrating,” the artiste said, adding, “I call all my fans and Rwandan music community to never miss this celebration. It will be a lifetime experience.” The ‘Micro’ hit maker went on to clarify that Shine Boy Fest is not a one-man show, but a concert that will bring together different local and international celebrities on the same stage. “We are already in contact with one of the best trending upcoming stars of Nigeria and many other Rwandan artistes that have been there for me in the last 10years,” he said, adding that the whole line-up and other information about the show will be announced soon. The concert, he noted, is in line with the promotion and launching of his fifth studio album that features artistes like Ruti Joel, King James and many others. “During the 10 years during which I’ve been in this game, I never I went down like most of my peers did and I believe this is among the key reasons why this celebration is coming to life. And the future is even brighter.” Davis D started doing music early 2010, where he managed to record songs like Kana Ka Mabukwe, ‘My Sweet’ and Wincaho but they did not yield much to introduce him onto the anticipated spotlight until he dropped “Biryogo.” He got more attention during the covid19 pandemic days between 2020 and 2021, a period which saw him drop hits like ‘Bon’, ‘Micron’, ‘Itara’, ‘Ifarasi’, ‘Eva’ and many others. About Davis D Davis D, 27, is a high school graduate at St Joseph Technical School, Nyamirambo. He was born in Huye District, Southern Province, and is the first born in a family of four. He inherits his music talent from his parents who ‘were both good singers in the church choir’. “My mother commanded me and my siblings to belong to a choir. She even founded a choir at home so she can assist us during rehearsals to perform better at a Sunday school,” he told The New Times in an interview of February 2020. This inspired the singer to go to the studio at a tender age, when he was a Senior Two student, although his parents did not allow him to pursue music so he could focus on his studies. When he completed his studies, the singer had all his heart set on music and he began spending more of his time in studio than at home. The rest was history. Davis is now regarded among Rwanda’s leading Afrobeat musicians as proven by a long list of songs that he recorded along the way.
