Upcoming artiste profile: Emmanuel Bahati

Yeah, he’s taking over the music scene with his controversial but immaculate music.You may recognise local artiste Emmanuel Bahati’s talent is budding and of course there is no question about the quality of his music.Now that his single, “Julia”, has garnered him lots of buzz, the singer who goes by the stage name Lil Chance, says his main concern is creating a positive impact on people’s lives through music.The 20-year- old artiste based in Rubavu, sings in both Kinyarwanda and Swahili.Lil Chance comes from a small town in Rubavu District, Western Province, where his music career started when he was just a little boy. He lives with his mother and four siblings. The ‘wanna be’ star was born in North Kivu, the Democratic Republic Congo (DRC), but later his family moved to Rwanda after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The New Times’ contributor Patience Uwitonze, caught up with the upcoming star. Below are the excerpts:Q: When did you realise your talent?A: Singing is my passion. It’s a strong drive within me and I just love it. I started singing from an Adventist church when I was a kid, and released my first single when I was in senior three (S. 3). Not long after, Bralirwa, the country’s largest breweries and soft drink manufacturers, through the company’s flagship Rwandan beer Brand Primus, organised a music competition –I participated and won. After winning the competition, Bralirwa supported me to record a song from Top 5 Saint, one of the best studios in Musanze District. The Primus music competition certainly introduced me to fame. Q: How many songs do you have so far?A: I have over five songs to my name. My first single is called, “Igikweto”, recorded from Bizy Bee TFP in Kigali. My other songs include, “Tamba”, “Changu ni chako” and “Julia”, which is currently earning massive airplay from radio stations.Q: Who is your role model? A: My role model is His Excellency President Paul Kagame because he has demonstrated exemplary leadership in Rwanda and beyond. I am also inspired by artistes, such as Uganda’s top musician Jose Chameleon and local rapper Bull Dog, for their exceptional stage presence.Q: What main challenges have you faced since joining the music industry? A: The main challenge is lack of sponsorship. As an upcoming artiste, it has always been difficult for me to record my songs, or host a concert because it’s very expensive. Also, Rwandans don’t value local music. Some of them prefer to listen to foreign music, and this has largely affected the growth of local music industry’s. Q: Any message to Rwandans? A: I request Rwandans and companies operating in Rwanda to support local artistes.I appeal to all radio presenters to play our songs, not only for the famous artistes, but also for the upcoming ones – like me. I also request the already established artistes to support the underground ones by mentoring them.Q: What are you currently working on?A: I am planning to make videos for all my songs before the end of this year and I request the public to support me. I so much believe that Rwandans will like them (songs and videos). I also plan to have collabos with some of the Ugandan artistes very soon.

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Upcoming artiste profile: Emmanuel Bahati