One on one with Burundian music sensation

He is famous for his sonorous voice and his lyrics are worthwhile. He is the prince of R&B in Burundi.Désiré Mugani, known by his fans as Big Fariouz, is a popular Burundian singer and his prowess in music has seen him grace several regional music festivals, such as the Pan African Dance Festival, (FESPAD) among others. The Mporeza Umwana star was in the country recently for the Burundi Night. Some of his famous tracks include Munyana, Mporeza Umwana, Sinarinzi, Maisha and Sinoguhisha, among others.In an interview with Sarah Kwihangana, he spoke about his social life and his music journey. Excerpts below.Briefly tell us about your love life?I am a husband to the most beautiful woman in the world and father of two adorable children. I love my family to bits because family means a lot to me. How do you balance your career and family?Fortunately my family is my first supporter, so they understand the nature of the work I do.Rwanda is perceived as a land of a thousand Hills with very hospitable and good looking people. What do you think of this country? Rwanda is my second home. I used to stay here way back between 2000 and 2003. I have so many friends here and I feel so special and humbled to have been invited to come and perform here during the Burundi Night. I love this country and the people. You have been on the music scene for close to 15 years and your songs are still highly appreciated. How have you managed to stay on top of your game? Hard work and prayer has kept me on top because I am a believer and like you all know everything is possible with God. So it’s all about hard work, believing in yourself and knowing where you come from and where you want to go. You can’t know where you want to go without knowing where you come from.As an artiste, who do you look up to?Unfortunately he is dead but it is Tupac Shakur. I really loved this guy and I still do.What crazy thing has a fan ever done to you while on stage?This was a shocker. I remember I was performing in Brussels and some girl came on stage and grabbed me and kissed me in front of like 3000 people. And back home my wife was wondering how this girl could do such a thing, but when you are known by so many people that is bound to happen though I try my best to handle it.What is that one thing that you often do that people don’t know about you?That’s a tough one, (laughs). I think there is always a secret in one’s life but there is this weird thing; I drink a lot for sure but I am always sober, I never lose my cool.What would you be if you were not a musician?I think I would have become a model; it would definitely be something in the show biz industry because that is my passion.What is your advice to aspiring musicians?First and foremost you need to love what you are doing. Work hard but most importantly, seek God’s guidance and wisdom because this field is full of temptations. What are you working on lately?I am working on my second album called, Burundiano. Can you imagine 15 years in this industry and I am just working on my second album?I am also working on some songs with Social Mula. By the way he is a good singer. I like his music and I intend to work with many more Rwandan artistes.

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One on one with Burundian music sensation