Renowned Rwandan record label Kina Music has added up and coming artiste Zuba Ray to their management. The 20-year-old signed for the music house with ambitions to captivate both local and international audiences, as per Kina Music’s statement of Saturday, September 28. “Kina Music is proud to introduce Zuba Ray, a 20-year old rising star with versatile sounds that blends R&B and Afropop, incorporating both vintage and modern influences,” the statement reds in part. ALSO READ: Weekend playlist: Bruce Melodie, The Ben, Ish Kevin and Co. drop fresh hits The singer joins the Kina Music family which is home to the likes of Tom Close, Nel Ngabo and Butera Knowles who, prior to the new singer’s introduction, was the only female musician signed under the record label owned by her husband and producer Clement Ishimwe. Igisabo by Zuba Ray: The artiste officially embarked on her music journey on Friday, September 27, when she dropped her first single “Igisabo”, both composed and produced by Ishimwe. Speaking to The New Times, Ishimwe described Zuba Ray as “a talented young artiste who meets all the criteria’s of a good musician with a lot to showcase in the music scene.” The inclusion of another artiste to the label has shown that Kina Music is serious about its expansion drive this year and might as well sign more young talents. Who is Zuba Ray Zuba Ray, real name Soleil Uwase Irahari, is a final year student at the Rwanda School of Music based in Muhanga District, Southern Province. The school has made a name for itself for producing dozens of the country's music stars including Igor Mabano, Ariel Wayz, Symphony Band and Yverry among others. Unlike previous years when Kina Music held competitions to sign artists, this time they decided to bring a music student on board because of the relationship the record label has built up over the years with the only public music school in Rwanda. Zuba has lived and studied in several East African countries including Burundi and Uganda, one of the reasons why her music is poised to capture the attention of not only local listeners but the regional and global music industry. Kina Music is one of Rwanda’s leading yet consistently active record labels which has contributed to the rise to stardom of Christopher, Igor Mabano and Nel Ngabo among others. A host of established musicians like Dream Boys, Tom Close, Knowless Butera have also done music under the music house’s management for so many years.
