By Our Reporter
Ugandan singer and songwriter, Yvonne Kushe has released her debut music album dubbed “Unchained”. She unveiled the new album at a listening party that was held at Onomo Hotel in Nakasero on Saturday evening. The party was set by the poolside, lending the evening a relaxed ambiance for the dozens of revelers that turned up for the fete.
The evening opened with performances from J.C Muyonjo and The Body of Brian who each delivered an acoustic performance, setting the tone for the evening.
The star of the evening, Yvonne Kushe finally walked on stage at 8.30 pm, singing “Don’t Tell”, the 6th track off the album, amid cheers and ululations from her excited fans. She was clad in a white wedding gown, which she later revealed was a symbolism for her lifetime commitment to doing music.
“Today, I have made the decision to marry my life companion; my partner — music! Music has been with me for the longest time and today I make vows of music.” Kushe said.
Backed by her band, she then took revelers down memory lane performing “Kanywani”, her first single released in 2012. She followed it with her past hits like “Ngambira” and “Take You To Africa”, before taking a break for an outfit change.
She returned wearing a shirtdress and knee-high boots for the second session, where she now performed singles off the album like “Kulikayo”, and “Sembera Eno” among others.
However, the highlight of the evening was when she performed “Ntambula”, her collaboration with Rickman. The crowd was fired up when Rickman made an appearance on stage, drawing revelers to the stage like a magnet and had them dancing along for the entire performance.
Yvonne Kushe says the Unchained Album is a result of her overcoming her insecurities. “Unchained has become an anthem for me this year, and last year. When I started creating this album, I didn’t think it’d be possible because of all the voices in my head; the insecurities on whether I was good enough. So, when I got over that; when I unchained myself from those insecurities, I created this album as a commemoration of that experience of me letting go of the insecurities I had built myself,” she explained.
“I had moments when I dealt with loneliness, mental health, and feeling a bit out of place, an unhealthy relationship upon moving to Vancouver, Canada, so this album is all about how I overcame that while rebuilding myself.” She added.
Unchained is an 8-track album featuring songs like “Unchained”, “Gonna Be You”, “Who Taught You To Love”, “Kulikayo”, “Sembera Eno”, “Dont Tell”, “Ntambula” (ft. Rickman), and “Blue Pill”. The album is delivered in English, and peppered with some Runyankole and Luganda.