Tshila (born June 10, 1983) is a Ugandan singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer.
Background
Tshila was born in
Kampala, Uganda. She wasn't raised in a musical family and didn't study music at any of the schools she attended as a young student in Uganda. She completed her degree in software engineering in the United States of America, then returned to Uganda, where she began to develop her musical talent.
Musical career
Back in Uganda, she began making music as part of the groundbreaking hip-hop group
Bataka Squad
Bataka Squad (formerly Bataka Underground) is a Ugandan hip hop group. The group was formed by Babaluku (a.k.a. Sniperous MC), Saba Saba aka Krazy Native and Big Poppa Momo MC. Founded in the mid-1990s, it is one of the earliest hip hop groups ...
. Inspired by the influence she could have through music, she taught herself to play guitar and started to experiment with her own sound. She recorded and self-produced her first album, ''Sipping From the Nile'', in 2006. The album gained recognition from music critics around the world. In 2007, the
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is an international broadcasting, international broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC, with funding from the Government of the United Kingdom, British Government through the Foreign Secretary, Foreign Secretary's o ...
conducted a talent search and named her one of the 20 best unsigned artists in the world.
Tshila performed at international music festivals in Zanzibar and Senegal, and toured Europe, sponsored by the Austrian Ministry of Culture. Her musical blend of acoustic soul with hip-hop, traditional African music, jazz and spoken word poetry introduced audiences to her unique style of artistry. She collaborated with
Johnny Strange
Johnny Strange (born 6 December 1988), nicknamed "the man with ears of steel", is an English world record breaking performance artist, producer and street performer based in London, England. He is known for performing daredevil stunts with a c ...
of Culcha Candela and Stereotype from Vienna, Austria. She became an ambassador of the Afrika Rise Foundation and the Bavubuka Foundation, which offer underprivileged youth a way out of poverty through music and the arts.
In 2017, she performed at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage in Washington, DC.
Tshila returned to the studio in 2018 to record and produce ''World in Crisis''. The album is a musical message for the world that chronicles humanity's shared challenges and offers universal solutions. She addresses the social and political challenges the world faces, especially from an African woman's perspective. She cares deeply about the issues that affect Africans and people of color worldwide.
Tshila's mission is to create inspirational music as a force for positive change in the world.
Discography
* 2007: ''Sipping From The Nile''
** Tracks:
***01 Intro
***02 Namboozo
***03 Ca Suffit
***04 Interlude
***05 Nkole Sente
***06 Omubbi Waakuno
***07 Sipping From the Nile
***08 Scientific Love
***09 Beera Nange
***10 Interlude
***11 Buli Shesi Nghola
***12 Outro
* 2018: ''World in Crisis''
[ ]
** Tracks::
***01 Intro – Never Exisisted
***02 World in Crisis
***03 Interlude – Keep Calm and Sell Out
***04 The Way It Is
***05 Revolution Now
***06 Not Alone
***07 Khube Atwela
***08 City of Lights
***09 A Girl Has No Name
***10 Medicine
***11 Dear God
***12 Water
Press
*BBC World Service "Ugandan rapper has plans to deal with a world in crisis"
arch 14, 2019*PRI's The World "This Ugandan rapper was ‘miseducated,’ Lauryn Hill-style"
arch 12, 2019*WDIY 88.1 FM "Ugandan-Born Singer-Songwriter Tshila on The Blend"
arch 6, 2019*Nile Post "Tshila’s World in Crisis Out"
ecember 3, 2018*BBC News "Africa Beats: Tshila"
pril 5, 2012
References
* {{cite web, url=https://www.tshila.com/bio, title=Bio, last=, first=, date=, website=Tshila.com, access-date=May 5, 2018
External links
Official Website
Ugandan singer-songwriters
1983 births
Living people
Spoken word artists
Ugandan women singers