The sight of a swarm of Ugandan millenials lip-synching word for word to pretty much every line of Fave’s songs is as perplexing as her sudden musical explosion is to her.
Even for her, she has said, it is difficult to explain how from nowhere, Olamide (Nigerian music executive and rapper) took interest in her, let alone featuring twice on his latest album.
On Monday night, not even the fact that she was singing the song (Baby Riddim) the second time could phase them. Holding their phones high to get the best lasting memory, they sang along.
The 22-year-old, like her peers, Fireboy DML and Ruger, basked in the glory that Nigerian hits have enjoyed in Uganda. A making of captivating lyrics and tracks that are simply irresistible.
Fave made her entrance at Levels Lounge at 11:13pm on Monday night amid ululations. With no time to waste, she opened with Beautifully before proceeding to perform Kilotufe.
Then came her other hits Mr Man and Obsessed that the ecstatic crowd, seemed not to have enough of.
In the last one year, Fave’s music has quickly made it top on the playlists in Uganda, thanks to her breathtaking voice and masterfully written lyrics that appeal to the heart. It was Beautifully that launched her to Uganda, though Baby Riddim would later blow with greater impact, cementing her as the next big thing in Afropop.
A viral freestyle during the Covid lockdown had landed her on Olamide’s radar and led him to collaborate with her on two songs – Pon Pon and Want. This inevitably shot her profile up.
At Levels, Fave headlined an evening characterized by poetry, live music and comedy. Comedians Arnold and Albreezy, Madrat and Chiko, and MC Kapale had set the momentum and kept the air lively.
Occasionally, each of them digressing from their sets to mockingly hit at Alex Muhangi who was in the audience. MC Kats and Martha Kay who also attended, were on the receiving end of comical jabs too.
The Levels gig, where Fave played alongside the Fauti band, came two days after her main gig – at Club Guvnor. It is her second visit to East Africa after Tanzania in February this year.
Sticking to an up-close experience that her performance was on Monday night – doing her set in two different positions (on stage with the band and an open cuboid platform with great vantage point) -, the singer later had a photo op with a few of her lucky fans.
Beyond the stark contrast between entertainment during and post-lockdown, watching a spirited crowd emotionally jamming to Fave’s music was testament to how relentless Nigeria has become in spreading its diverse Afrobeat sound across the continent and beyond.
