A number of children have tried their hand at Uganda’s bludgeoning music industry. One most notable player is Little Tammy (real name Tammy Tamale).

Young music artist, Tammy Tamale

Daughter to Desire Mbabazi and Fred Musafini both business people in Kampala Tammy at just at 11years of age launched her second Album “the African Child” on 22^nd August. The young singer is a pupil of Kings School Seguku and is in Primary five.

She recently had the chance of rubbing shoulders with the African Music legend Yvonne Chaka Chaka at the Hakuna Wakati Concert that took place at Hotel Africana. She now says she will soon record a song with Chaka Chaka. Tiberindwa Zakaria had a chat with her on the music and aspirations in such a young body and soul. Here are the excerpts.

Who is little Tammy?

Little Tammy is a musician.

Who is she apart from that?

Hmm…..  Also an actress

Being a pupil and musician, how have you found balancing studies and singing?

Studies are in their own time and during holidays is when I sing.

What do your teachers and fellow pupils say or think about you? Do they admire you or look up to you?

(Smiles)  They say that I am a good musician! Some pupils look up to me and admire me.

When did you start singing and for how long have you been singing.

I started singing when I was eight years and that was in 2007. So I have been singing for three years.

Did you start recording songs in the studios at that age? In which Studio did you record your first song?

Yes I recorded songs at that age. My first song was Anthem for homelessness and parentlesness and I recorded it from dream studios.

Who brought up the idea of recording a song? Are you the one that composed the song or somebody else composed the song and asked you to sing it?

Somebody brought up the idea of writing for me the song and that is my uncle Yiga Kassim. He then asked me to go and sing it in the Studios.

I believe at school you are a musician. Did you start singing at school before you started recording songs or you recorded songs before you started singing at school? And at school have you achieved anything personally in music or with the choir? Have you won anything or any competition?

I started recording songs then moved to singing at school. At school I actually sing in the choir. I am heading them.  We have won a competition before. It was about children’s rights and we were singing songs, acting and dancing creative dance. So we won a certificate. Though there was a school that headed us, at least we were the second. Though I do not remember the exact date of when this competition took place at least I remember it was at Makarere College.

How do your parents feel about your singing?

They encouraged me to start singing because they used to see me cram songs in very short times. For example I would take like two minutes after listening to a song and I would get the song into my head. My first song was Sigwe Onsimila for Mesearch Semakula (Sings a line) Sigwe Onsimila, Tompalampa fala nawe… I wanted to translate it, change it and sing it in English but I failed completely.

I understand you are inspired by Whitney Houston and her song Greatest love for all but in Uganda, Particularly which Ugandan artist inspires you or which artist do you look up to and why do you look up to that artist.

Juliana; the way she sings, the way she flows her songs. That is why I like her…more on page 2 below

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