TAKEAWAYS

• Bien says Uganda’s music industry relies too heavily on hit songs and nationwide tours.

• He argues the model discourages innovation and limits artists from expanding beyond Uganda.

• His comments have sparked mixed reactions, with many Ugandans agreeing the industry needs to evolve.

Kenyan singer Bien-Aimé Baraza, popularly known as Bien, has offered an interesting observation about how the Ugandan music industry operates, particularly the way artists can build a career around a successful song.

Speaking during a podcast, Bien explained that in Uganda, a musician does not necessarily need several hit songs to remain active in the market. Once an artist gets a major song, they can take it around the country, performing in different towns and cities while continuing to earn from the same record.

According to Bien, this is simply how Uganda’s music market works—and there is nothing wrong with it because the model provides artists with a viable way of making a living.

“In Uganda, when you have a hit song, you can tour almost the whole country on that one song. You have to be there to understand how it works.”

Bien compared the system to his experience in Kenya, where a successful song would see him perform in cities such as Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu, before looking towards opportunities beyond the country.

He noted that Ugandan musicians have become comfortable with their own market because it gives them enough opportunities to sustain themselves locally.

“It works for them. They are comfortable in that way.”

However, Bien observed that the same comfort can mean artists have less pressure to look beyond Uganda, particularly when it comes to reaching audiences across Africa.

His comments have since sparked discussion among Ugandans, with many acknowledging that the country’s strong entertainment circuit allows musicians to make a living from relatively few major songs.

Ultimately, Bien’s point was less about condemning the model and more about highlighting how uniquely Uganda’s music industry functions compared to neighbouring markets.