Acidic Vokoz during his Ndi Musoga Concert at Lugogo Cricket Oval. Photo | Isaac Ssejjombwe
How would you describe Acidic Vocals?
Acidic Vocals is a Ugandan artiste born in 2000. I am from Busoga, studied at Namunyumya Mixed Primary School (St Mulumba) before joining Town Side Secondary School but I dropped out in Senior Five.
What did you do after dropping out?
I went to Namutumba where I started music production and later joined music, getting my breakthrough with Nkulinako Crush before coming to Kampala to professionally embark on my music career.
Why did you drop out?
I dropped out because of limited funds from my parents.
What inspired that name?
It is so simple. My vocals are acidic. I thought of something unique in regard to how I sing and that is what I came up with.
Who came up with the Cricket Oval concert idea?
It was Abitex’s idea. He came looking for me and said we should do a concert. We bought the idea and agreed on the terms. At first, we were contemplating on taking the concert to Zoe Grounds but I later insisted on Cricket Oval and he agreed.
Were you staging this concert because of the concert wave at the time or because you were ready to stage one?
Yes, that might have been there but we mostly wanted to prove that even a budding artiste can successfully hold a concert. We wanted to erase the mentality that to have a concert, one had to have been in the industry for many years. What did you expect at this concert?To be honest, I did not expect a big turn up and I was afraid at first but God did it and I will always be appreciative of whoever made it possible. You pulled it off on a busy weekend that also had other concerts.
Why do you think you managed to get many people?
We pushed this concert to the limit with several activities in Jinja and Kampala. We used all avenues to communicate this concert.We saw a couple of endorsements from the Kyabazinga, former speaker Rebecca Kadaga and other celebrities.
Do you think the endorsements played any role in the success of your first concert?
Yes, of course. Their additional voice was what this concert needed for its success. So many people came through because of their voices.Artistes usually stage back-to-back concerts after the success of their first concert, are we seeing you doing the same?I am a different artiste and I cannot do the same as others. My strategy is going to be different. That is all I can tell you.
Would you still go back to Cricket Oval for another concert?
Yes, I would. It has become my winning formula and with music, you do not want to change a winning formula.What should someone take into consideration to have a successful concert?You need to have a dedicated team that knows how to push and has to be there for you in every situation, you need to have a good promoter who understands the business, You need to be disciplined and be a believe as well.You are the second artiste after Ray G to play a tribal card for a concert.
Why did you take that direction and do you think it was the right thing to do now?
It was not a tribal card because among my songs, there is one that is titled Ndi Musoga and not everyone that came to my concert was a Musoga. People came from different regions to support me. I am a proud Musoga who sings for everyone.You are also the ambassador for Tourism and Heritage of Busoga Kingdom. Why do you think you deserve this title?
It was because of the works I did. I had the numbers, I did a lot of things back home that showed my passion for Busoga and they fell under tourism. I have a song that has an element of tourism, so they felt I was the right choice.
What exactly are you supposed to do in this position?
As an ambassador of tourism and heritage, you have to promote Busoga’s tourism, you have to portray a good image about Busoga, unite other creatives, be present at Kyabazinga’s functions, among other things. Tell us about your music.I do RnB and Soul music but I fuse it with Afrobeat to be enjoyable by the old and young.
Where did the music dream start from?
My passion started when I was still young, looking up to people like King Saha, Mowzey Radio, Raya Simba until I started doing it professionally after dropping out of school.Tell me about your music journey so far? After dropping out of school, I linked up with a friend called Urban Chill who owned a studio. It is at that studio that I produced a song titled Namutumba Gyenva, which became a hit in that town. I then went to Jinja and did a number of songs such as Nkulinako Crush that became a problem on TikTok. It was my sister who uploaded its demo and I came to Kampala and shot its video.
Have you faced any challenges so far?
I reached a time when I wanted to quit music because I had high hopes in a song that did not do well but I sat down and prayed to my God, asking for guidance and patience and God answered my prayers and I did Last Chance, which became a huge success.
