| 
| 
By Salem Lorot
Maurice Kirya, a tall, dark and handsome Ugandan artist is making a mark in the music industry in a big way. Known mostly for his style of music which he calls “Mwooyo” or Soul thereby being called the “King of Mwooyo” in Uganda, Kirya has so many achievements tucked in his belt:
He started singing since he was 15 years old and is now 26 years or thereabouts;
In 2010, his hit track Bodaboda from his debut album Misubbaawa set his music career on full throttle;
Some of his past and upcoming music include: Don’t Wanna Fight ( recorded in Uganda at Black Smith Studios and mixed and mastered by Jazzworx Studios in Randburg, South Africa), Book of Kirya, I Will Sing, Bodaboda, If I Ever, Malaika, Super Model, Warrior, Misubbaawa, Woman, Wooye, Angels Carried Me, Nnanaagira among many others.
In the year 2011 alone, he had toured over 35 Countries and 40 Cities across Africa, Europe and America in 2011. He was featured on BBC, CNN, Voice of America and RFI;
He has sold numerous copies of his album in iTunes, CD baby and Reverbnation;
He has won numerous accolades, such as:
· RFI Award (France), a prize money plus a grant worth 18,000 euros to develop his music career,
· E-World Music Awards (LA),
· Museke Music Awards (New York),
· KORA Award,
· KISIMA Awards (Kenya),
· PAM awards (Uganda),
· The commendation of his KiryaLive as the “Best Concert of 2011”.
Maurice Kirya, recently during the Miss Uganda event
This year, for this star in the ascendant, things are looking promising. On the Eviction Show at the Big Brother Africa 2012, Maurice was scheduled to perform on StarGame.
In an interview between him and Onyait-Odeke of Channel O that was conducted on June 7, 2012, Maurice Kirya helped elaborate about his personal life and what he has lined up for his fans this year. He is set to release “BOOK OF KIRYA”, his album, sometime in July or August this year. Of the album, he says, “the book of Kirya is journey through my mindset placed in a musical language. I wanted to show the different sides of who I am. The side that is musically mature and visionary and the side that is playful, adventurous and daring. I have been working on the album for two years.”
Amidst all these, Maurice Kirya, together with three other friends, is helping transforming lives of Internally Displaced Persons at Katakwi, a district in the Eastern part of Uganda. This was on 13th March 2012. They visited Acanga, Ngariam and Abuleajet, villages in the district of Katakwi, described by him as “affected by drought in the dry season, floods in the rainy season and cattle rustling among others”. Through his friend Tom Cox and Hope Chest, a Charity Organization, a solution to the prevailing problems there have been found. They realized that many children weren’t going to school because of lack of food. Thus, together with the community, Tom hired people to grow food and providing it to the schools for free to feed the children.
Also, they have managed to sink boreholes to provide safe drinking water to the Community.
Says Kirya about this project:
“I have chosen to participate in this life transforming project by raising awareness about the beautiful things that are happening in Katakwi and also do a little lobbying as well to make sure we can impact more people. I hope the people in Kampala and all over the world can realize the potential of their communities and join in making the world a better place for our Young ones! I will use my influence to create awareness about people, communities, projects and ideologies that are playing a great role in empowering the youth!”
Every year, Maurice holds a big concert in Uganda dubbed KIRYALIVE. This year, there will be one in September. The concert will be preceded by a country tour promotion. Maurice, in an interview, says that it will be “ a night where all the conversations on social pages meet art, my fans contribute to what they want to see on that night, it’s not all about me on that night, it’s me and the fans, big stage, big lights, choir, dancers, orchestra, boda boda (motorcycles) riding on stage-it is truly a night I can’t wait for. This year will be massive because we are doing a country tour promotion before the big concert!”
Great job Ssebo! Weebale, Maurice Kirya!
Check his website here.
Twitter: @mauricekirya
Facebook: Maurice Kirya Music
Maurice Kirya With Beemoola
Salem Lorot is a lawyer currently pursuing a post-graduate diploma in law. He is a published poet with a running blog, echoes of the hills, a writer and an avid reader. He has written extensively on a wide range of issues on law and society. He is a connoisseur of the music in East Africa, fashion, cuisine and his regular staple is the entertainment industry with the manifold twists and turns. His interests are informed by themes of social justice and interactions with diverse groups in Kenya.
|
|