Mani Martin thrills fans

Leave it to Mani Martin, the man who can only be described as Rwanda’s most talented singer of his generation.The songster, fresh from Rwanda Day in Boston, wowed his fans at Kigali Serena Hotel on Sunday, with a great performance.It takes a true star to attract a crowd that fills Serena’s main auditorium, but the hall was filled to capacity, with so many people left with no choice but to stand throughout the concert.Revelers enjoyed four hours of impressive music, as Mani Martin launched his fourth album, “My Destiny”, which consists of eight singles including, ‘U Rwagasabo’, ‘Bira wewe’, ‘Irungu’, ‘Hamani’ and ‘Nyiramwiza’.The show started off well with a performance by one of the country’s renowned choirs Amasimbi n’amakombe.After the group, various artistes including, Bruce Melody, Uncle Austine, Shanel, King James, Patrick Nyamitari, Boubu and Julie Senatore performed in a curtain-raiser session. However, the peak of the entertainment was from Mani Martin, who needed no introduction to the crowd and seemed to have selected the right songs for the crowd. At 8:34p.m, the lights went down and Mani Martin’s band appeared on stage, with traditional male dancers (Intore) to prepare for the star’s arrival on stage.By then, fans were screaming the walls down, eagerly waiting for the star to perform. Mani Martin didn’t disappoint judging by the shrill screams that emanated from all corners of the hall.The singer and his band showed that their chops are intact. Not only did the band sound good, but Mani’s vocals were spot-on. Donned in traditional attire, the singer belted out a number of songs including, ‘Intero y’ Amahoro’, “Idini y’ukuri”, “Bira wewe”, “Irungu” and “Hamani”, among other songs.With the concert 100 per cent live performance, this was one of the biggest events in town and will have probably left sweet memories to many. “Mani Martin is a super talented musician,” Barbra Uwera, a fan, said. “I enjoyed his performances, his energy on stage was incredible…he is a true star.”“This is the best concert I’ve attended in a very long time. Mani Martin is a great artiste. He has given us what we’ve been longing for,” says Jackson Mugisha, another of his fans.He added: “Probably other artistes should borrow a leaf from Mani. He sings live music, while most other artistes concentrate on playback, which is fake and boring.”Several people could be heard saying this was one of the major performances of the year.The “Icyo dupfana kiruta icyo dupfa” star has graced various local and international performances. He has a number of music awards to his name.During the concert, Mani played to a huge audience that included Dr Jean Damascene Ntawukuriryayo, President of the Senate, Protais Mitali, Sports and Culture Minister, Jules Ndamage, Mayor of Kicukiro District, as well as Dr Jean- Baptiste Habyalimana, Executive Secretary of the National Unity and Reconciliation (NURC), among other dignitaries.The singer said in interviews that with four albums to its name and more than 10 years as a performing artiste, it’s getting better and he enjoys his talent.After a few minutes break, Mani returned on stage and played some of other foreign songs including, Michael Jackson’s recording “We Are The World, which he performed with Shanel and Patrick Nyamitari. He followed it with Miriam Makeba’s rendition of “Malaika” – with fans singing along.Addressing an excited crowd, the Minister of Sports and Culture, Protais Mitali, congratulated Mani Martin for staging a beautiful live music concert.He urged local artistes to stop performing playback and try to practice live music, which, he said, would help them improve their talent and be able to sell their music.Born on December 24, 1988, Mani Martin, real name Martin Maniraruta, is a singer, songwriter and entertainer. He started recording at the age of 12.

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Mani Martin thrills fans