Danra - going places with music

19 year old Danra

What you need to know:

Rising star. Danra is a 19-year-old musician who idolises Beyonce and as luck would have it, she has already started getting performance gigs unlike other already established musicians who only perform once in a week. She shares her music career.

What is your real name?
Daphine Flavia Nassuna.

Why did you pick an interest in singing?
I didn’t only pick an interest in singing, but I had a passion for it and this is because I grew up in a family of music lovers.

What style of music do you do and why?
I do all types of music but then I decided to concentrate on dancehall and reggae genres because I resonate more with them.

Music is perceived as a career for failures and being a 19-year-old, do you should think this is the right career for you?
(Laughs) Music is not for failures. Actually to me, music is not only a career but it’s also business because at the end of the day, it’s what puts food on the table and takes care of my needs.

How far did you go with school and why?
I am a vacist. I got done with my Form Six last year and I’m joining university soon.

How did you parents feel when you chose music as a career?
My dad didn’t first support the idea but my mum was always giving me a go ahead so one day my dad took time and listened to my music. Surprisingly, he loved it and also started supporting me and as we talk, both my parents are my number one diehard fans.

How many songs do you have so far?
I have four songs namely: Zina, Mulala mulala, Drop your energy and Brown Sugar.

Musicians usually market themselves by performing in places like bars or nights clubs. How safe is it for you?
Safety is one thing I first took care of before I decided to take music as a career. I’m 100 per cent safe because I always move with my team of about five people.

How do your parents deal with you being out late?
My parents know how the industry runs especially when it comes to night performances, all they say to me is to take care in everything that I do. And whenever I’m to perform late at night, I’m always communicating with them.

Speaking of performances, which places have you performed at so far?
I was so lucky that I started getting weekly gigs in different places like Club Silk every Tuesday, Club Venom and Waikiki at Centenary park every Thursday while Saturdays, I’m always at Club Ceeders.

Which musician do you look up to?
I love Beyoncé because of her stage performances, vocals and attitude.

Why do you think music is the right path for you?
I don’t think but I know music is the right path for me because I’m SWAT which is Simple, Willing And Talented. I’m multi-talented when it comes to stage performances because I’m an energetic dancer and I believe I have the vocals.

Tell me about your musical journey?
I started singing at an early age but realised that I had the talent in 2010 after joining St Cyprian High School. I used to sing in church and also in the school choir and after my Form Four during vacation, I was called to backup my friend in studio but when the producer called Ricky listened to my voice, he gave me an offer of recording a song at his Sammie production. The next day, I recorded my first track ‘Drop your energy’ which did quite well but I decided to give music a break after that because my vacation was done and I had to complete my Senior Six.

Then what happened next?
After my Senior Six, I decided to officially start a music career and that is when I met a guy called Sewaah shots who became my manager. He took me to studio and I recorded the ‘Zina’ song which really did well in clubs like Silk and many more. After some time I left Sewaah shots management and recorded ‘mulala mulala’ before releasing ‘Brown sugar’ recently.

What challenges have you faced so far doing music?
There is a lot of beef in the industry and because I don’t have a manager, I get challenged in financial issues and promotions.

Family background?
I’m the second born of six children born to Mr and Mrs Mayanja and grew up in Kiwatule. My parents and siblings love music and at home, we are all talented. My elder sister was an actress called Rose Kamya from the ebonies. She acted as Vicky in That’s Life Mwatu.