Vituko Mitaani

For some of the contestants, it gets over this Sunday immediately after the finale, to be held at Wonder World in Kansanga. Because after Sunday, the day when those still in the running and the evicted ones will come together in a farewell sing-off, it will entirely be up to each individual to use the singing skills they have acquired in the contest to go to the next level.

And of course, not all of them do get to the next level. For others, however, Sunday will just be the beginning of their music career, whether they win the staked sh50m and a recording contract from Fenon Records, or not.

In what will conclude this contest that has over the last four months traversed the country looking for singing talent under the tagline Sing It, the Top Three: Rebecca Nanziri, Daniel Kaweesa and Comfort Asingwire, are right now burning the candle on both ends to Sing It for the last time this Sunday.

Who will walk away the victor of the day? You can still take part in making that dream come true for one of them by voting for your  favourite. How? Just check each of the fi nalists’ voting procedure in their life stories, meant to break down who they really are, highlight their moments in the contest and show you why they deserve your vote.

REBECCA NANZIRI, 24

For her very first audition in Kampala, Rebecca hit the ground running, with the song My Redeemer Lives by Nicole Mullen. On Day Two of the auditions, she sang When You Say Nothing At All by Alison Krauss. It was evident she would go far in the contest. And here she is, among the top three.


Born to Pastor Edward Lule and the late Teddy Nakitto, Rebecca went to Kawempe Community Nursery School, Kawempe Muslim Primary School, St. Thomas Aquious Secondary, Kawanda Secondary (UCE) and Kampala Secondary (UACE).

A devout Christian, this social student of Information Systems at Makerere University comes second in a family of five girls. But since she is estranged from her father yet her mother is deceased, she lives on her own at a students’ hostel near Makerere University. Her boyfriend, who lives in the US, pays for her everything, including tuition. They have dated for eight years, and hopefully, they will get married when he returns next year.

“We were workmates at a Makerere University stationery shop selling notes handouts to students in 2005. That is how we fell in love,” she recalls, adding that she owes her boyfriend a lot, and that she would never cheat on him, for he filled the void of an absentee father when she needed one. Her devotion to prayer, she says, helps her fi ght temptation because several good-looking guys keep hitting on her.

In this competition, Rebecca points out two major milestones for her. The fi rst? Making it to the Top 20 level, thanks to wise counsel from Judge Maurice Kirya, who advised her to better her voice by taking honey mixed in hot water with lemon.
“The second one is the possibility of reuniting with my father because my half-sister told me that when she told our father I was in the competition, he promised to vote for me. So maybe he is voting, and he might contribute to my winning if I do. That will be a good precursor to reuniting, don’t you think?”  wonders Rebecca in what comes off as an anticipation of a child, who really misses her dad. She adds that the competition has also made her find new friends in the competitors, as she has learnt to associate with them as friends, not competitors.

A lover of R&B and zouk music, Rebecca is into fi tting dresses, jeans and tops because “they accentuate my beautiful fi gure.” If she wins the money, she intends to further her music career, as well as buy land and put up rentals.


COMFORT ASINGWIRE, 23

Somewhat laid-back, happy, loving, outgoing and God-fearing are the terms Comfort, a born-again Christian and church singer, uses to define herself. Another of those whose star has kept rising throughout the competition, Comfort, a graduate of international relations from Cavendish University in Uganda, auditioned in Kampala with Celine Dion’s I Love You, which sent her straight to Day Two.
And when she did the first verses of Keisha White’s The Weakness In Me on Day Two, judge Sharpe Ssewali was smitten, and said: “You do not have to go so far in the song; you have a singing voice.” And clearly, she is still singing to us, and just might walk away sh50m richer – who knows?

A video editor with her church Rubaga Miracel Centre’s Channel 44 TV, Comfort is the second of two children, born to a Mr and Mrs. Bigombe. Her favourite person is her big brother, with whom she is so close. Growing up with her parents in Mulago and Kyebando, where she lives to date, Comfort used to sing while her father recorded her on a cassette. Listening back to herself made her fall more in love with music.

She went to V&H Kindergarten in Mulago, Shimoni Primary, Light College Katikamu, Taibah (UCE) and St. Lawrence Citizens High School, Paris Palais Campus. She says she was nutty while growing up, recalling a childhood incident when she and her brother were sent to a nearby shop and she mixed rice with sugar in what incensed the shop owner, but her brother took the fall for it.

Memorable to her about the competition is being together with everyone else in boot camp at the Top 10 level. “It was like a family, and I  got to learn each of the contestants at a personal level. We joked, rehearsed and once in a while had arguments amongst ourselves. I am defi nitely going to miss the union,” she says.

Comfort’s take-home from the competition is that “one should fi nd a centre point in life where they work and get to meet many different people. This made a big difference, and I will always have fond memories of it. Even in a competition, you need your competitors.” For her, the sh50m is only a bonus; but the network of people she has created, she believes will get her to bigger things.

Nonetheless, she would like to open up a business to employ young people if she wins the money, and use the recording contract to further her music career. Easily angered by people who take advantage of others simply because they know they are stronger, Comfort enjoys going to the beach with friends, watching movies and meeting new people. She also loves fi tting clothes and wearing high heels, any day, anywhere. And for the guys, we are sorry, she is dating and looks forward to marrying him in less than two years.

DANIEL KAWEESA, 23

Juliana Kanyomozi’s Kanyimbe hit is what nailed for Daniel a “Yes” for his Day One auditions at Arua Hill Grounds in Arua, West Nile. For his second day, Daniel, in what put a smile on Judge Maurice Kirya’s face, sang Beera Naabo by Maurice Kirya. And that is what sent him on a journey of impressive performances throughout the race, making him a favourite of many at the contest’s live  recordings at Ndere Centre and putting him across as a hard-to-beat contestant.
A graduate of development studies from Uganda Christian University, Arua, this humble and joyful lad loves music and “really simple things about life.” Born to Pison Wanyera and the late Nancy Bako, Daniel is the last of five children, and lives in Arua. He has fond  memories growing up in Kampala, Jinja and Bugiri.

“Basically, I was the trouble cause of the house, and a crybaby too, since I was the last born and weakest of them all, too weak to win any fi ght against any of my siblings,” he says. He went to St. Peters Primary in Nsambya, Buganda Road Primary, East High School, Ntinda (UCE) and Arua Public School (UACE). For him, an Arua contestant coming this far in the competition is the biggest milestone, since not many believe there is much talent up-country, due to lack of exposure.

“This competition has made me learn that talent is one’s biggest weapon regardless of where you come from,” he says, adding that his first live performance on stage was his most memorable moment of the contest. “People were expectant, and I delivered without disappointing, and I was from Arua. That meant a lot for me, man,” says Daniel, who adds that he does not get angered easily, save for when he encounters people, who do not value other people.

For the ladies, sorry, he is devoted to his girlfriend, whom he has dated for the last eight years, “and I intend to marry her.” Daniel looks forward to winning the jackpot and recording contract so that he takes his singing career to the next level, for “I have what it takes in talent, passion and a dream to bring big and fresh sounds to Uganda’s music industry.”