Music has the power to set the mood, tone, and ambience of any setting. The different cords and tunes can communicate without words and turn an ordinary scene into a memorable moment. In film, music is a core part of creation. With it, scenes can exude drama, suspense, danger, happiness, and other emotions.
In this episode of the Home of Our Stars, host Judithiana Namazzi Ndugwa, sits with celebrated singers and songwriters, Afrie, real name Ann Nasanga, and Humphrey Kiingi, also known as Hum Kay, as they delve into the creative process behind some of Uganda’s most popular film soundtracks.
Afrie, an award-winning artist and songwriter, is behind the soundtrack of the popular Pearl Magic drama, Damalie. It’s interesting to note that the talented singer composed the song during a free-style session.
She mentioned that when the series’ producer, Doreen Mirembe, reached out to her to compose a soundtrack for the then-upcoming series, which was to be about deception, she quickly jumped onto the track and freestyled parts of the song, leading to a hit.
“I got into studio with Barnabas (music producer), and he played a track, and I just freestyled everything from the beginning to the end. So, we sent Doreen what we had come up with, which was not final. Funnily, it was already being used in the pilot even when it was not yet complete. I don’t usually do that, but it was spontaneous, and I’d love to do that more,” she said.
Unlike Afrie, Hum Kay’s creative process was longer and more practised, and this was because of the nature of the soundtrack. He is the composer of the Junior Drama Club (JDC) soundtrack, a series based on a primary school’s drama club.
For Hum Kay, this particular project had a much different process because the team was dealing with children. He highlighted that they had to write the song, create the demos, and share them with the producers to fit the voices of children.
“We did a quick audition for voices that we could front and also those to support. We also had to sit in the script readings to match the music to the storyline and the mood. And then recorded demos for the kids to take home and learn the words, since only 2 children were singers,” he said, adding that “these are children, so we weren’t only dealing with their musicality. We also had to deal with their emotions.”
Asked whether working on the Damalie soundtrack changed anything for her, Afrie mentioned that she was approached to compose a song for a radio show, and the series soundtrack was the point of reference. “The person said that they wanted something chill like the song in Damalie. He said his wife watches the series, and that’s how he heard the song.”
Both songbirds agree on the effect music has in film. Hum Kay’s understanding of the power of music and film came much earlier in his career when he met the legendary personalities in film, Irene Kulabako who introduced him to film.
He said, “She introduced me to film, and I got to score the films, Stone cold and Beauty to Ashes, where I wrote the soundtracks. So, I quickly realised music and film are inseparable. It’s like music is the spirit and emotion of the film. Sometimes, it’s the emotion of the melody and not the lyrics.”
Away from music, quizzed on her film career, Afrie, who is also a graduate of the MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) highlighted what she had been up to with film. “I’ve mostly done documentaries, and one of those that I have directed is called Little Faith, which has won the Uganda Film Festival Award for Best Documentary Film.”
Because of her involvement with film, Afrie expressed that music is a pocket of memories, “when you watch a movie and hear an amazing song, it creates memories that you remember each time you sing the song, and it takes you back. A music career or music in film? For Hum Kay, his personality pushes him towards music in film, as he prefers to create work and watch it shine.
“I would like music for film a lot more. Some people love to get into their creative space, get things done and put their work out there and watch it shine. On the other hand, Afrie, an underrated artist as described by host Judithiana, highlights that music for her is a wide scope with different sides, so it can be difficult to channel into one single aspect. She said, “In music for film, you are already given a topic to stick to that places you in a good box that you can tailor to.”
However, being a recording artist with several projects and music videos, Afrie clearly isn’t afraid to stay within her authenticity and release music true to her.From this episode, we learn that music and film are inseparable, together, they amplify emotion, deepen storytelling, and create moments that linger long after the credits roll. Their power lies in how they merge sound and vision to move hearts, spark conversations, and shape culture.
