Praise Asiimwe is one of the organisers of the DundaStar Music and Dance Talent Search competition. She is a former beauty queen (Miss Uganda 2005-2007) who is currently into sales and marketing. She told Moses Opobo about her three worst habits, and why she doesn’t visit beauty salons… Why DundaStar? Well, we realised that other talent searches before DundaStar had been looking for ready-made stars to make them mega stars. DundaStar scouts for talent, nurtures it, and transforms that talent into a star, both in singing and dancing. Can you sing? Hell no! I wouldn’t want to subject anybody to my horrible voice. That said, I can tell a good singer when I see one. Good music is all about presence and vocal ability. What are your most terrible habits? I bite my nails and I think it’s crazy! I’ve done it for as long as I can remember, and my mum would spank me for it back in the day. I bite my nails whenever I’m nervous, stressed, or simply to pass time. I also suck my tongue. It’s soothing and takes me to sleep. Give me good music, I suck my tongue, and I’ll sleep like a baby. I just can’t do without it. Are you a chatterbox? It’s true, I talk a lot, but that’s just so you concentrate on what’s coming from my mouth, not my body. I feel my brain has more to offer than simply looks. Sometimes you find yourself trying to prove to the world you can still be intelligent as a beautiful woman. How often do you visit a salon? I go to salons mainly for pedicure. I don’t do manicure because I’m addicted to biting my finger nails. Besides, I’m not into make up. Never been, except during my stint in Miss Uganda, and I didn’t like it. I’m all for natural beauty. If you know you’re beautiful, why fear to flaunt it? What would you love to change about your body? That would be my legs. They’re hairy so I’d make them better-looking. Any wild fantasies? Given a chance, I’d do coffee with Ms Oprah Winfrey because she pretty much reminds me of me. She’s a fighter, just like me. She is a black woman who was born without a silver spoon, but created one herself.
