Musician Carol Nantogo is an established artist in Uganda, but she has no musical presence outside the country. The singer says she aspires to compete in the international market but is unable to due to a lack of finances. She is broke, and she lacks the budget to manage a career across borders.
She explained that artists are paid low wages by promoters and cannot afford to produce expensive videos like their Nigerian counterparts, which would allow them to compete on the international market.
"You always want us to go global and compete internationally, but we can't do it because we are broke," she explained. "Promoters can't raise the money we demand and they end up paying us peanuts. You can't invest heavily in a video when you don't have the money to do so, and in the end, you can't compete with Nigerians."
Nantogo also appealed to Ugandan music lovers to support Bebe Cool, who invested heavily in his album. She believes his music should be streamed and not criticized, as he is trying to break barriers. He should be encouraged to do even better instead of being attacked.
"I have so much respect for Bebe Cool because he is a very strong pillar in this industry," she explained. "He has invested his finances in his album, but some people are just criticizing him instead of supporting him to do better. We need to support our own if we are going to do anything better on a global stage."
Bebe Cool intends to take Ugandan music to the international market with his album, Break the Chains.