Christmas melody with African touch

Yolelele is a Christmas song by Jaq Deweyi

What you need to know:

Celebrate Jesus. Starting with a kadodi beat, Yolelele is a Christmas song by Jaq Deweyi through which she informs that Jesus is born on Christmas Day and what the Masaba do to make merry. Deweyi tells Pauline Bangirana how she came up with this song

Gone are days when we used to dance to only Jingle Bells which seems to be an anthem in announcing the Christmas season. Indeed Jingle Bells is one of the best-known and commonly sung American Christmas songs in the world. It has lived through the times but now we have local artistes trying their hand at this kind of music.
Towards the end of 2013, during a chat with a friend Jaq Deweyi got to know of the demand for local Christmas music. “My friend advised that I record one and there I was humming some lines of Yolele, Deweyi recalls, adding, “I have special memories of Christmas, so I decided to come with up with the song to that effect.”

The melody
Yolele, a Christmas song is done in jazz, acoustic and Afro-fusion renditions. The three cater for the people who prefer soothing instrumentals to the vigorous beats and the other way round.
At the start, she conjures images of Christmas time in the village and the décor that does not require supermarket shopping. . It explains the culture of Christmas or at least what it was a few years back in the rural setting where children wake up sweeping the compound and put banana plants by the roadside. Of course, the organic Christmas tree is decorated with cotton balls and pink toilet paper.

Background
“I grew up listening to music and dancing to Lingala and South African music. I started singing at young age because I was exposed to music in my home and I took part in school choirs,” says Deweyi. She loves South African music especially by Brenda Fassie and Yvonne Chaka Chaka who greatly influence the kind of music she does now.
Locally, she enjoyed Elly Wamala and Rachel Magoola. “I like the authenticity of the music and most times, the songs always tell stories.”
Yolele reflects her childhood. “When I was young, a typical Christmas meant eating special food, wearing new clothes to church and decorating the Christmas tree with pink toilet paper. My song takes one back in time to feel the special memories that made Christmas unique,” Deweyi says. She also appeals to people to go to church because regardless of one’s visits to church, Christmas is one of the days when everyone goes to church to celebrate the birth of Christ.
She describes herself as a secular artiste whose music has an African touch. This cannot be missed in the energetic beats and lyrics in Lumasaba and English. With at least 13 songs, Deweyi notes that she loves sticking to her roots and now looks up to Angelique Kidjo, “Her music is African with organic beats.”

How she is perceived
Benon mugumbya, producer at Swangz Avenue who produced one of the Yolele renditions says, “Deweyi does world music with some kadodi beats and Lumasaba lyrics. Se has to be persistent and consistent because that’s all it takes. With that, her music can reach all corners of the world. It is all about how she pushes it. I find her mature and easy to work with.”
Jaq Deweyi recorded her first single; Oukwamunabi early 2013 and released it in April of the same year.

Going professional
She released her first single in Guvnor and went on to have her first live performance and first professional performance ever at the Black Gold Nights at Sheraton Kampala Hotel. Her second single was released in July 2013. She has also released Yolele in 2014. She has had two live events and a couple of small gigs.
Last year saw her release her first seven-track Extra Production Sun in the Rain.
Her music costs Shs 20, 000 and it can be ordered through kaymu.co.ug.

Religious life
Deweyi goes to Watoto church East and goes to church every Sunday unless otherwise. She also attends fellowships.
To her, “The Christmas tree to me is a big deal and it is a symbol that Christmas is real although I prefer decorating a natural tree to the artificial ones and I always have one in my house every Christmas.”

Other roles
She is a radio presenter at 93.3 KFM, a Topowa brand ambassador, a columnist, voice-over artiste, events emcee, TEDx Speaker and Hepatitis B ambassador in Uganda.

What others say

“ Jaq Deweyi is influenced by African contemporary artistes such as Brenda Fassie and is into world music. Deweyi is hardworking and always dedicated to what she does but above all, she is passionate about her music and presenting on radio.”.

Enock Nsubuga, Manager

“ Her music is a mixture of pop and tradition and as such, I would describe it as Afro- fusion since it has both elements. She is a hard worker and very creative because she uses her own language and culture with a modern touch to make her music. If she decides to make music more often, it could go beyond the Ugandan borders..

Kaz Kasozi, Producer