Fresh Kid: Uganda’s Young Star hanging between success and waste

By Richard Kintu

At only 7 years of age, Patrick Ssenyonjo has divided Ugandans’ opinion like a philanthropic drug lord. But make no mistake of viewing him in the light of the latter comparison. This is just a little child cutting his teeth at music, albeit at an age where many would prefer him to remain tucked under his mother’s bed.

Going by the moniker Fresh Kid, this little soul has invaded the country’s music scene where he has proved as painful to the established big names like a paronychia abscess (ntunuka) just like he brags in his maiden banger, Banteeka.

While his musical talent is not in doubt, opinion is divided on a recent directive by Youth and Children Affairs Minister Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi that the budding crooner should ditch the mic and stick to books for now. Justifying her move, the minister cited the little singer’s exposure to adult immorality that is prevalent in many bars where he performs on night shows. Another concern is the media frenzy around fresh kid which has literally left him with no time for school as he hops from one media station to the other doing interviews.

The worries, encouragement

But commenting on the matter, Uganda’s legendary contemporary music icon, Joseph Mayanja aka Jose Chameleone, believes fresh kid should be guided to do his music alongside the books. Comparing fresh kid to American rap sensation Lil Bow Wow who also started singing while young, Chameleone says; “There are a lot of stars that started young and still managed school. The likes of Bow Wow started very young and still managed to come out responsible citizens. I advise the kid’s parents to keep him in school but also not let him rest his career”. On the other hand, however, Chameleone’s contemporary, Moses Ssali aka Bebe Cool believesfresh kid should put his music on halt and concentrate on studies— just like Bebe Cool’s own daughter.

But the hottest debate on fresh kid raged in Parliament, where MPs on the Parliamentary Forum for Youth and Children berated Nakiwala for trying to stand in the way of fresh kid’s talent. Addressing journalists, the legislators including Anna Adeke, Mwine Mpaka and Gaffa Mbwatekamwa, urged Nakiwala to direct her energies towards removing kids from the streets instead of killing a talent.

Yet again, many proponents of fresh kid’s singing allude to the fact that the boy should be left to sing so as to take care of his nail polisher dad and food vendor mum. While we cannot bash anyone’s argument, in this feature the second opinion looks at talented kids who went on to have established careers and those who young promise blew up.

David Bweyinda

Born in poverty to a street vendor single mum, David Bweyinda became a phenomenon at the explosion of the Pentecostal movement in the early 1990 shortly after the NRM’s capture of power. He gained nationwide fame thanks to his emergence as the youngest singer of the time at only 5 years, thereabouts. His songs including Birigwawo, Gologosa are still a hymn in the Pentecostal churches. Not much is known about his education but having grown under the guidance of the church, he is now a gospel artiste and pastor of the redeemed churches of Uganda based in Masajja, Makindye division.

Baby Gloria

Born Gloria Mulungi Senyonjo to gospel singer BETTY NAKIBUUKA of the “Gwe Luyimba Lwange” fame, mulungi burst onto the music scene at 2 years and 8 months with her song Mummy thus her stage name “BABY GLORIA”.  She has since established herself as a strong upcoming singer having already done songs with big gospel musicians Ruyonga and Levixone. Under the guidance of her mum, she is an example of a well managed talent; doing her music alongside books. She completed primary school at Sir Apollo Kaggwa Primary School  Mengo and she is still in school.

Nii Lamptey

This Ghanaian former footballer is the yardstick for everything wrong that can happen to a talent with no books. Born in abject poverty to an alcoholic dad, Lamptey would later show immense soccer talent which saw the Ghanaian FA block his move to Europe just because they wanted to build the future black stars team around him. However, he was later smuggled to Belgium by late Nigerian skipper Stephen Keshi who found his soccer skills out of this world. once in nbel;igium, he was signed by R.S.C. Anderlecht aged only 15. Later, Belgium was forced to change its age limit rules for players to allow Lamptey— then heralded as the new Pele— to feature in their league. He thus became the youngest-ever player to play in the Belgian league. Despite these plaudits, Lamptey now breeds cattle and sheep on a farm on the outskirts of Accra following his retirement from football in 2008. His career after Anderlecht was a nose dive, a thing he blames on his illiteracy. Apparently, an Italian agent diddled him of all his soccer monies after he tricked him to sign a contract that gave away 25% of all that he earned as a footballer. Today Lamptey is an advocate for education for talented footballers as he doesn’t wish any other to end up like him.

International stars

Michael Jackson

The king of pop started sharing lead vocals at the tender age of 8 with his older brother Jermaine as part of ‘The Jackson Five’. He would later go it alone and achieved his first solo number one at the age of 13 with ‘Got to Be There’ which peaked at #14 on the US pop chart. Although incredibly successful (with a net worth of over $1 billion), he has become a cautionary tale of the psychological impact of fame at a young age. Psychologists believe that having missed out his childhood; he retained a child-like demeanour into adulthood and eventually built the infamous ‘Neverland Ranch’ (which included Ferris wheels and a menagerie). This fixation is partly blamed for his pedophilia accusations that still haunt him posthumously.

Lil Bow Wow

Being a rapper, Shad Gregory Moss aka Lil Bow Wow is the closest mirror of FreshKid. At age three, he became interested in rap and would begin rapping recreationally aged 6. His break however came when legendary rapper spotted him at a concert in Los Angeles and took him on, changing his name from Kid Gangsta to “Lil’ Bow Wow”. It was however until age 11 that Bow Wow met record producer Jermaine Dupri, who helped shape his career. Today he is still a musician but under his birth name having dropped the childish Lil Bow Wow moniker which he said bored him along the way once he became an adult.

Stevie Wonder

Wonder has been described by many as a child prodigy, having been signed to MoTown’s Tamla label aged only 11. Stevie was placed under the care of Clarence Paul, who worked with him for a year on his first two albums (‘Tribute to Uncle Ray’ and ‘The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie’). By 1963 (aged 13) he earned his first number 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Fingertips’, making him the youngest artist ever to top the chart. After facing the difficulties of his changing voice through adolescence, Wonder re-emerged in the 70s with hits including ‘Superstition’, ‘You are the Sunshine of My Life’ and ‘Isn’t She Lovely’.

Janet Jackson

Janet began young, performing in Las Vegas at the MGM Casino at the age of 7. After spending a few years pursuing acting (in the variety show ‘The Jacksons’ and the sitcom ‘Good Times’) she recorded her first song, a duet with her brother Randy, age 12. Seeing the success of her brothers (in The Jackson 5) aged 16 Janet arranged a contract with A&M Records, with whom she would release two albums of pop music before terminating her business affairs with her family. Janet would become known for her socially and sexually provocative records and has become an icon of pop culture.

Britney Spears

She began her career in show-business early, auditioning for the Mickey Mouse Club at the age of eight. Although she was initially rejected by Disney for being too young, she won a part on the show two years later (where she was among other rising stars, including her teenage boyfriend Justin Timberlake). When she was 17 Spears released her first single which shot to #1‘…Baby One More Time’ and has since sustained a career spanning over 20 years.