Nshuti: The renowned Facebook cover girl

If you are a regular social media user, chances are you have landed on clips of a young beautiful woman strumming her guitar to the covers of artistes like Mowzey Radio, Julianna Kanyomozi and Irene Ntale among others.

The unforgettable voice belongs to budding singer Nshuti Mbabazi.
Mbabazi who goes by username Nshuti S Mbabazi on Facebook and YouTube, has been doing covers since last year as a way of creating an audience before releasing her own music.

Her breakthrough cover song was an Elly Wamala classic Viola which received rave reviews on social media which gave her the confidence to record and upload more covers.

Her popularity however, shot through the roof when she did a cover of Mowzey Radio’s Katonda Tambula Nange following the singer’s death last year. Besides Tambula Nange, Nshuti has also done covers of songs such as Situka by Bobi Wine, and Kanyimbe by Julianna Kanyomozi, among others.
Although Nshuti is a name common among Rwandans, Nshuti says she is a Ugandan although she has family in Kigali. “I alternate between the two countries and I feel at home wherever I am,” says Nshuti. This duality has also helped enrich her musical appreciation.

“I think there are many similarities between Ugandan and Rwandese music. The only main difference between the music in the two countries is the number of artiste. In Uganda it is an army while in Rwanda I can count the number of artistes on my fingers,” Nshuti says.

Her other abilities
Nshuti’s soft voice can give our already established female vocalists in Uganda a run for their money. She has the added advantage of being able to play the guitar really well and is currently trying to master the saxophone.

Choice of covers
Before performing a cover song, Nshuti checks through her social media messages to see how many people are requesting for a particular song.
“Besides requests from fans, I sometimes do songs depending on how I feel about the song or the prevailing circumstances at the moment,” she adds.
For now, she does not perform at any events or with any bands but she is currently working on her stage presence and live performance skills which demand more than what she is doing right now.

Challenges
One of the major challenges Nshuti faces is the fans being so impatient because she has over 10,000 messages from fans telling her to release her own songs.

“These fans do not realise that recording and releasing music takes a lot in terms of finances and other logistics. It is not for lack of original composition that I have not yet recorded my own music because I have many of them, but I am waiting for that moment when I feel ready to do it,” the budding musician relates.

Achievements
Nshuti has not yet realised financial rewards from her art but she is proud of the vibrant brand she has created online. “I have over 200,000 viewers online and 35,000 followers on Facebook. I do not take that for granted” Nshuti adds.

Who is Nshuti Mbabazi?
Born 25 years ago to a Ugandan father and a Rwandan mother, Nshuti went to Bat Valley Primary School and Ntanda College School in Butambala for O-Level and never joined the university.

Nshuti is in a relationship and contented although she prefers to keep her partner out of her public life. Besides singing, she says she is into charity and loves giving back to the community whenever and whatever she can.

Like others who look up to established artistes, Nshuti notes that there are great and talented singers in Uganda but while she appreciates their work she is not about to try to be like any of them. “I love the image I have and I am doing my best to nurture it into a well-respected and well appreciated brand not just in Uganda but in the region as well.

My aim is to add something to enrich the music industry not to take away by trying to be like those already in existence,” Nshuti adds wistfully.