Faces to watch in 2024

Joshua Baraka

Joshua Baraka appeared on this list last year and true to our prediction, he had a tremendous year with Nana. The song was Uganda’s most exported local song on Spotify with 3.7 million streams while the remix alongside Bien of Sauti Sol, King Promise from Ghana and Joeboy from Nigeria was streamed more than 1.2 million times. The same song was the third most played song on Ugandan radio stations. Joshua Baraka’s new EP, Growing Pains has been streamed more than a million times just by December. With these numbers that are still growing, we believe there is no stopping for Baraka. If 2023 was his breakthrough, 2024 will likely be his year.

Warafiki

On December 8, girl group Warafiki which comprises Tori (Victoria Nalugwa), Eyla (Damalie Nalugwa) and Treezy (Patricia Debra Nakalembe) released their debut single, Bwekati, an Afro Pop tune. Signed under Fenon Records three years ago, the trio have been undergoing a mentorship programme that aimed at readying them for the industry.  According to reliable sources, the group already has an album that they will be releasing this year and it is this album that is expected to announce their presence on the entertainment scene. The album has some of the biggest producers in the game, including Steve Jean himself.

Considering Steve Jean’s clout in the industry and track record, one would expect the group to be the next big girl thing, but we shall find that out this year.

Jowy Landa

It is the first time Jowy Landa is appearing on this list despite having been active in the music industry for more than three years. During those years, she has been under different management/camps, including Pallaso’s Team Good Music before ditching it to join De Texas Management but still things did not pan out well for her until last year when she joined DJ Roja’s 7 Star.  With little expertise in artiste management, DJ Roja found it prudent to join hands with Jeff Kiwa to further Jowy Landa’s music career. The two signed a musical business deal to manage and promote the artiste last year and it greatly paid off. Jowy Landa had more than three songs last year, some of which enjoyed fair airplay. Songs such as Wire Wire, Ex Twafuna Sente with Vyroota and Sugar Mama were all well received last year. With that reception and Jeff Kiwa’s push, we believe Jowy Landa might rule make airwaves this year.

Elijah Kitaka

It is not a surprise that Elijah Kitaka is on this list. His style of music is slowly being embraced. Watching his album listening party last year was enough to see greatness in Kitaka and seeing people sing to his music word for word on different stages, shows that he is one to watch out for this year. A drummer, producer, and singer, it explains why Swangz Avenue signed this gem.

His album, Bedroom Essentials was well received last year and songs off the album are making good rotation on different media outlets. Songs such as Tippy Toe, Tutu Mama, Kontrol and Nothing are doing good.  

With his signature short shorts and the appeal he has with the gal dyem, Elijah brings that oomph that we all love to see and have no doubt it will take him places this year.

Vyroota 

Because the music industry Looking at his catalogue, Vyroota has been musically active for two years and grabbed some attention in 2022 with Ndibulungi and Byofanana on Tik Tok. This was after his My Love album.   2023 was, however, that year that he got noticed, thanks to songs such as Ex Twafuna Sente with Jowy Landa, Risk, Mistake with Asha Blessing, Ready and One and Only, among others. The beauty about Vyroota is that he has management known as Hit Tower Music who have made it their priority - make the artiste do music all the time. Hopefully, 2024 will be the year he shows his full potential.

Tania Shakira Kankindi

Tania Shakira is a woman of many talents.  From a commercial model, voice over artist, entrepreneur and an actress, she has over the years appeared in a number of Ugandan films, TV series, TV commercials and theatre productions. She has featured in films such as Power of Legacy, Tinka’s Story, Bunjako and Coffee Shop. 

She was nominated as best actress in a feature film, Invincible Cuffs at the Uganda Film Festival in 2016, also received another nomination and won Best Actress in a Supporting Role in Pearl Film Festival of the year 2021 for her performance in My Husband’s Wife directed by Mariam Ndagire. However, why we tip her to be an actress to watch out for is because of her solid performance in the new Netflix drama called Volume.

Jacques Rwothomi

We have had many singers break out on TikTok but we have few comedians who have done the same and among those is Jacques Rwothomio. An Alur from Zombo, Jacques has built a name not just in stand-up comedy but also on TikTok where he is known for his Arsenal content. A staunch Arsenal fan, Jacques’ has built an audience from Arsenal content. Besides that, he runs a monthly show and if you have been fortunate enough to catch it then you can attest to his ability to make a name in stand-up comedy. If he can stay true to his content, his budding comedy career will be shooting up this year…that is if Arsenal wins some major trophies in the process.

Derrick Biswanka

Most people have probably not heard of the name Derrick Biswanka but his single Ontunulemu was one of those that got good views.

Another thing you may need to know is that he was signed Alien Skin’s Fangone Forest Management until December when he quit citing tough conditions. The singer said after his song was released, some of the people within Fangone Forest created conditions that made it difficult for him to stay because they felt he was going to outshine Alien Skin.

“My song caused problems,” said Biswanka during an interview on one of the Tv stations, adding that it started getting more attention than his boss’ songs.

He is currently supported by Moon Avenue Limited, a record label run by VJ Moon. Besides Ontunulemu, Biswanka also has other songs such as Onotwala Ani, Rest Of My Life and Want You.

Elvis Faki

The first time we saw him perform was last year in March during Okello Okello’s Comedy Black Friday. He was one of the top performers during the evening with his stammering jokes. “Communication companies make a lot of money from some of us who stammer. We take long to pass on our message during phone calls,” he joked. But in less than two years of doing comedy, Elvis has been able to churn out two one-man shows, each with different material. He has found a niche in observational humour and his comedy is very appealing to audiences beyond just Uganda. He has performed on almost all the major comedy stages.

Acidic Vokoz

Acidic Vokoz started pursuing music in secondary school and his musical journey officially commenced with the release of his debut single titled Mwenya in 2021. Through this initial release, Acidic Vokoz hinted on his diverse musical influences, which include genres such as R&B, Zouk, Afro Zouk and Afro Beat.
Currently affiliated to Mama Baba ENT, he released songs such as Last Chance, Siri Safe and Future last year while Nkulinako Crush, Okyusemu, Ndi Musoga, Mukwano Gwange, Ndi Mulangila and Am Missing among others all came before.
With his voice, versatility and vision to share his authentic musical expressions with a growing audience, 2024 might be the year he catches the attention of many.