For all its faults, social media has democratized pop culture, leveling the ground for underground talent that ordinarily would struggle to publicize their work.
By clipping the influence of mainstream media, which has traditionally been the maker of music stars, social media has given this power to everyone who owns a smartphone.
TikTok which was popularized by the entertainment deficiency that thrived during the Covid pandemic is the new pedestal that radio and TV once were.
Hayes Willit Mugisha’s steady rise is a product of both social media and Covid.
In fact, it was the virality of his breakout song Sir Kisorothat caught the attention of a stranger in Ireland who would later take him under his wing.
“As soon as I saw the video, I could see the talent. I loved the track, the environment. Having been to Kisoro, I knew every shop and every street that was in that video. I thought it was great. And it (the song) had attracted me to get onto the plane and come see him perform in Kampala,” says Robert Stephenson, an Irish music industry veteran. He runs CAN Music, an innovative record label that harnesses the power of music to raise awareness about climate change and promote sustainable living.
The video had been sent to Stephenson by Richard Rugaya, the founder of Kisoro-based coffee enterprise, Gorilla Highlands Coffee, with whom he had met and worked with for about three years.
Stephenson describes Willit as “exceptional in so many ways”, further noting that his ability as a songwriter, performer and entertainer is “outstanding”.
Very creative, realistic, humble and grounded are the other synonyms he uses in reference to the 23-year-old singer whose musical journey began in his S4 vacation in 2020 during the Covid-19-induced lockdown. Willit who now goes by the moniker ‘Sir Kisoro’ spent the better part of his life in Kisoro before he transitioned to Kampala where he studied his S3 to S5 before returning to the southwestern district.
“The more I know about Hayes Willit, the more delighted I am to be working with him and to helping him on his journey. I think he’s got a very important journey not only in music but also in helping his community, engaging his friends. There is a whole range of people from Kisoro and others from Kampala that I met that he’s actively working with and that he persuaded me very easily to help them too,” adds Stephenson.
CANMusic discovers and promotes new musical talents in Africa, bringing awareness of environmental issues to local and world audiences. Other names signed under the label are Tinta Tribe, SGG and DJ Tease.
Though Willit identifies as a rapper, he has embraced other sounds like Afro pop, Amapiano and RnB as a way to showcase his versatility.
On Sir Kisoro, off his EP of the same title, he plugs into the contagious effect of Amapiano which has attained global virality proving he can effortlessly finesse the sound. On it, he also exhibits his multilingualism blending English, Rufumbira and Runyankole.
Yet he will equally come off as mellow on his other songs Body and Amaate.
His latest single (Gitere) is a soulful masterpiece is a testament to his artistry and musical prowess, showcasing a unique blend of emotive lyrics, melodic harmonies, and powerful instrumentation. Gitere is his first release under CANMusic and has a already received good airplay on Trace.
Willit uses his soul-stirring vocals coupled with poetic storytelling create an enchanting atmosphere that is sure to resonate with fans of various music genres and community activities.
Even though venturing into the commercial bit of music came in 2020, he had already churned out more than a dozen songs as an underground talent during his high school.
The student of Makerere University has so far collaborated with a number of Western-based singers; IaM JKayz (on Amaate) and Fact Zamani (Nofaki N’ensi).
This week, he released a Remix of Sir Kisoro on which he features Rwandan singer, Bushali. He has also revealed he is working on a song with rapper Feffe Busi (who also hails from Kisoro) to be released this year. The two left the crowd ecstatic when they shared a stage and delivered a lively freestyle at Iwacu Heza cultural fest in Kampala last October.
Beyond the music, Willit is looking to influence the world’s attitude towards the issues of the environment, with the hope that everyone becomes an agent of slowing climate change. It is this drive that led him to found CAN Arts Collective Uganda (CACU).
“He’s (Willit) passionate about the climate. About issues of drought and of deforestation, the ecology generally. He goes to Kampala and he can hardly breathe there. He’s very conscious about that coming from a clarity and beauty of Kisoro, going to Kampala is like going into a form of oxygen hell,” says Stephenson.
The singer has incorporated this consciousness in his music, demonstrated in Oh Environment which was released in 2023. For Willit, the song was largely an attempt to amplify the voices of the little children in Uganda and let them talk.
Children in Nkuringo Bright Future Orphanage wrote the message as a poem which was later transformed into music with the help of Giles et Diego. The video was shot in Kisoro (Uganda) and South Africa.
CANMusic is affiliated to Climate Actions Now (CAN), a not-for-profit that focuses on climate advocacy and environmental education. The organization seeks to counteract the adverse effects of climate change while nurturing a spirit of collective responsibility.
Stephenson says the idea of forming a creative arts organization (CACU) was Willit’s.
“He’s a leader but in a very quiet and modest way. He’s got a very clear vision and is very rooted. He doesn’t abuse himself or anybody else in any way. You’ll never meet him drunk and disorderly or anything like that. He’s very receptive of people.”
Commenting on Willit’s role as a climate action ambassador, Stephenson says the budding singer is the right ambassador since he embodies “all the parts of what Ugandan youths can do”.
He says that in the initial days he spent with Willit in Kampala and later on traveling together to Kisoro, there was no doubt in his mind that he had discovered “the jewel of Africa in Willit”. And according to him, Willit’s musical sound has great potential to cross over beyond Uganda.
“I know that this guy is going to be somebody that’s gonna make a huge difference, not just the music. And that’s what’s needed right now in this troubled world that we have. We need people like Hayes Willit. People that are leaders in their community, who honestly do the best they can to make things better and share the love of music.”
