‘Sound of Hills’ aims to improve quality of music in Rwanda

IT is Tuesday night and Milles Collines is alive with the sound of clinking glasses, tapping feet, and that feel-good buzz of laughter and excitement that belongs to a place with good music. The live band, ‘Sound of Hills,’ wraps up the final beats of Michael Jackson’s “Billy Jean,” and for a few moments the stage is quiet. But then the husky voice of singer Serah Chihanga melts the silence with the softly crooned opening lines of Beyonce’s, ‘If I Were A Boy’.From the beginning, you realise that Chihanga’s rendition is not an exact cover of Beyonce’s song, nor is Jackson’s “Billy Jean” quite what you know or expect. With “Sound of Hills,” there’s always something more; each reinterpretation gives the music a quintessentially “African” touch that resonates from the percussive beats, piano chords, and vocal fluctuations.“We do African music, but we develop a special original style that is really different from other music,” said Marcel Michu, the founder of the group, “That’s what we are trying to do with the band – record songs in Rwandan style but combine it with modern music.”“Sound of Hills” may not sound familiar to you, but that’s because the band has only recently adopted this name. The group of eight (four instrumentalists, four singers) has been performing in Kigali for nearly a year in diverse settings and at a variety of events, at one point under the moniker of ‘Michu’s Band’. He explains that the band’s new name, ‘Sound of Hills,’ derives from Rwanda’s cultural history. “Rwanda is a country of one thousand hills, and before, traditionally, Rwandans used to communicate with drums from the hills to the village,” he said.Michu stresses the significance of the band’s efforts to combine the “typical” music of younger generations with local sounds. ‘Sound of Hills’ is a band that includes some traditional style but, at the same time, diversifies the music style,” he said. “We don’t want to lose any music culture in Rwanda.”Chihanga, who hails from Kenya, cites the group’s chemistry and musical versatility as the compelling factors that pushed her to join.“It’s a popular band, meaning their exposure – because it’s a mix of Kinyarwanda, English and French,” she said, “As a singer, I feel I have a lot of opportunities. No matter what song you bring to them, whether it’s techno or rock, they’re ready to play. They’re ready to do what the singer wants and you’re able to do what you do best.”Both Michu and Chihanga see great potential in Rwanda’s growing music industry.“Rwanda is still a bit young in music compared to its neighbours,” said Chihanga. “I’m imagining that in the next 5 or 10 years it’s going to be on a different level, and I want to be there when it happens.”Looking ahead, Michu hopes that one day ‘Sound of Hills’ will attain international recognition.“I want to compose songs for the band, record them, market them, and have us play for festivals,” said Michu. “We’re really trying to let the public enjoy live music and improve the quality of music in Rwanda.”

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‘Sound of Hills’ aims to improve quality of music in Rwanda