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No love lost for Clever J
Clever J during his second set at his comeback concert. Photo | Isaac Ssejjombwe.
What you need to know:
- Clever J’s attempted comeback has been a long walk with many obstacles. The efforts to bring the singer back to the stage started before the pandemic and the lockdown that followed.
Once one of Uganda’s most promising artistes, Gerald Muwonge, alias Clever J, returned to the big stage last Friday evening in a concert dubbed ‘The return of Clever J’ at KCCA Grounds Lugogo.
Clever J’s attempted comeback has been a long walk with many obstacles. The efforts to bring the singer back to the stage started before the pandemic and the lockdown that followed.
With a few performances however, the artiste was later picked up by Alien Skin who later signed him to his Fangon Forest.
With a collaboration, Alien Skin is alleged to have lured promoter Bajjo to organize Clever J’s first concert after 14-years.
Clever J’s story is one that makes for good reading; an unknown kid that was compared to Jose Chameloene in the early 2000s, went on to hit all the right points releasing at least three club bangers.
The bangers did not however translate to crowds as he organized three consecutive concerts that all failed. Dejected, broke and alone, he dumped or the industry dumped him.
It was only in 2020 that he was back in the limelight, after he was seen on a brick baking site. Artistes tried their best to book him performances, including a publicized cameo at Cindy’s Boom Party concert.
But then the pandemic happened.
If the artistes that tried to help Clever J were rolling in the deep in Gulu, it is obvious the artiste they tried to help was in abyss.
He took to the stage at 10:30pm. Barefooted in a black short, dirty white sleeveless t-shirt and helmet with his signature white glasses, this was him laying a stage of his life as bricks.
In a semi-live performance, he kicked off this show with Fanya Kaazi, a song that calls on people to work hard as life is not easy before doing Manzi Wa’nani, Monica, Maama, Esanyu Lya Malembo, Yegwe Mukyala Gwe Njagala and Ensi Yaleeta, among his earlier songs as the crowd sung along to songs they knew word for word.
His second session lasted for 45 minutes in which he invited his father and daughter on stage to witness the love he has from his fans.
The stage was so crowded all the time that it got confusing at some point who was who and what their role was. It had several dancers, bouncers, two people waving the Ugandan flag, drummers etc. There was limited security on the stage as everyone was at liberty to get on stage without being interrupted.
After appreciating the crowd for coming in big numbers, Clever J thanked Alien Skin for lifting him up when no one else could.
Other artistes who supported him included; Diana Nalubega, Shakira Shakira, Young Mulo, Spice Diana, Abdul Mulasi, Betty Mpologoma, Mickie Wine, Master Parrot, Yung Mulo, Alien Skin and Mesach Semakula among others.
