Songwriter and musician Shena Skies earlier this week opened up about the struggles facing songwriters in Uganda’s music industry, claiming they are often undervalued and disrespected.
During her revelations, Shena alleged that she was paid only UGX 20,000 after writing the hit song “More of This” by Rema Namakula featuring DJ Roja and Slick Stuart.
“They only paid me Shs20,000 for fuel. Things are not as simple as they look, we are undervalued and disrespected,” Shena said.
However, DJ Roja has come out strongly to dismiss Shena Skies’ claims, accusing her of spreading lies and falsehoods.
Speaking in an interview with a local television station, DJ Roja insisted that Shena was fairly paid and received UGX 1.5 million for her work on the project.
“I am shocked by her claims. Shena was already a big brand at the time, and there is no way she would walk away with only Shs20k. No way! We gave her Shs1.5m for the project. She should stop spreading such lies. I wonder why she does such things,” DJ Roja said.
The disagreement has since sparked fresh debate within the music industry, with many creatives weighing in on the issue of songwriters’ pay and recognition in Uganda.