Ugandan gospel musician Judith Babirye. PHOTO/FILE/HANDOUT
Renowned gospel artiste Judith Babirye enjoys living a private life in Canada, North America, where she is currently based.
“Unlike in Uganda where people recognised me as a public figure, when I arrived and settled in Canada, I was the same as everyone else, something I loved,” Ms Babirye says.
She says she enjoys walking on the streets unrecognised in the North American country.
“Things changed while here. After leaving Uganda, I walked the journey of a public celebrity life for 23 years. But upon arriving in Canada, what I found was what I enjoyed,” Ms Babirye says.
“I like being Babirye, an everyday person, one who can go to a restaurant, take tea without anybody saying, ‘there she goes’, and I can walk without anybody calling me. Those are things I liked. Walking in public with my natural hair, without running to the salon. I felt that I can breathe [and] be me,” she adds.
There are, however, occasions when she gets noticed. This includes when she visits grocery stores that sell international [local] foods which are frequented by Ugandans and nationals from other East African countries.
Some are never shy of approaching her to express their gratitude for how her music has impacted their lives.
Back home, Ms Babirye is famous for notable songs such as Yesu Beera Nange, Maama, Nasinza, Olugendo, Nzijukira, and Survivor.
Ms Babirye during campaigns ahead of the 2016 elections. PHOTO/FILE
Her successful gospel career later saw her endorsed by her constituents in Buikwe District who voted her as area Woman Member of Parliament from 2016 to 2021.
Adjusting to new life
After deciding not to re-contest for the seat, Ms Babirye sought life away from the limelight. On the show, she says she is proudly living life in her second home, Canada.
“Canada is a first world country. Everyone is busy and has somewhere to go. In the beginning [of moving there], it was a bit strange for me to adapt [to the lifestyle] until I got used [to it],” she says.
“I am now going to spend five years in Canada. Though Uganda is home, Canada is a beautiful country and I cannot complain. I am proud to call it a second home,” she adds.
The weather though is unlike the tropical one of Uganda encompassing a blend of warm and rainy temperatures throughout the year.
Canada has a winter season, which runs from December to March.
“Winter, you feel it, the coldness penetrating your skin to the bones,” Ms Babirye says, adding, “But one gets used to it. I am a veteran.”
Ms Babirye currently works for Stepstone House in Canada’s capital, Ottawa, a transitional shelter for refugees and newcomers. Here, she serves as a resettlement manager. Stepstone House is run by Rev Joseph Kirya of River Jordan Ministries. The gospel artiste explains that the organisation helps look after people who have just entered the country, including those who need guidance and help as they settle in.
Rejuvenating music career
Ms Babirye’s fans both back home and in Canada continue to reach out to her, saying they miss hearing new music from her and wonder whether she can stage a comeback concert.
“I am singing [back in Canada]. I am an assistant worship Pastor at River Jordan Ministries where I pray from],” she says.
Judith Babirye performs at Club Obligatto, Kampala, in 2011. PHOTO/MICHAEL KAKUMIRIZI
During the initial years of moving to Canada, Ms Babirye found it hard to sing after failing to find the right studio that suited her. “In the music recording business, the person who helps in the recording of your music is very important, especially when you are singing gospel music,” she says.
“The hands that are playing the keyboard, hands that are playing the drums, and the kind of fuel the person playing instruments is operating at [are all very important]. So, if you get a person and both of you are able to operate using the same fuel, it is okay. But if the fuel is not the same [it becomes hard],” she says.
As she pondered on what to do, another famous Ugandan gospel artiste Martin Sseku arrived in town.
“I had said to God that Ottawa [capital of Canada] is good but then I do not have that suitable person [producer] and studio where I can produce these songs. When I was there, Martin Sseku came to town,” she says.
“Sseku has a beautiful studio in Ottawa and is mindful of quality work,” Ms Babirye acknowledges.
Sseku, the voice behind famous gospel songs, including “Koona endongo ya Yesu” and Siritya is producing Ms Babirye’s upcoming album, which she says is “good to go.”
To avoid isolation from her fans, Ms Babirye says she connects with them on social media platforms, including TikTok, a video-hosting service accessible to millions of people across the world.
On battling depression
Ms Babirye extensively speaks about the issue of mental health, conceding that it affects everyone regardless of their status in society.
“Young people are having mental health issues, and they are not alone. Even the young and old. Where I am, it stems from down up to upstairs. Mental health challenges are a big thing here more than in Uganda,” she says.
She then shares a personal story of getting into depression and how she got better.
“I was depressed to the edge. I don’t know. If it was not for God who strengthened me, and I proceeded to go to the hospital, I would have gone crazy. I was treated and given medication for the depression and got better,” Ms Babirye says, urging others, including public figures, to seek help when faced with mental health challenges. “You are not alone.”
Ms Babirye encourages parents to continuously instill Godly values in their children because those values are the ones going to strengthen and ground the children in the tough and cruel world.
“A person who does not fear God can become anything as they do not have profound values to fall back onto, especially when faced with difficulty. Those are the ones who say, ‘Let me just kill myself,’” she says, adding, “I want to urge the parents, especially in these times we are in, to instill these Godly values in these children.”
On her personal life
Babirye does not indulge in any details of her personal life during the interview.
Back in 2022, the singer, in a video, apologised for her second marriage to then Buikwe North Member of Parliament Paul Musoke Ssebulime.
Ms Babirye directed the apology to Ugandans, including Rukia Ntale, the woman whose marriage she disrupted. The marriage, which was formalised in 2018, was dissolved in 2020 on grounds of cruelty.
About babirye
The renowned Uganda gospel artiste is known for songs; Yesu Beera Nange, Maama, Nasinza, Olugendo, Nzujikira and Survivor, among others. She was voted the 2016 to 2021 Buikwe Woman Member of Parliament. She did not re-contest for the seat.
Her first marriage was to Samuel Niiwo and had a daughter together before Babirye filed for divorce in 2017. The musician asked to be freed from a violent marriage.
