Rwanda’s Oda Paccy working on new album

13 Sep 2016 - 08:19

Published under the Creative Commons Licence

Rwandan rapper Oda Paccy has been on the music scene since 2009. She emerged with the single ‘Mbese Nzapfa’ and has gone on to release two albums, Miss President and Umusirimu.

Rwandan pop artist Oda Paccy. Photo courtesy of Oda Paccy
Oda Paccy during a video shoot. Photo courtesy of Oda Paccy.

Paccy is currently working on her third album, which is expected to be released in 2017.

In May 2016, Paccy released the audio for the single 'Igitego' (loosely translated to 'goal') which is set to be the lead single on the forthcoming album. She recently released the song's video.

Unlike her other video 'Niba Ari Wowe' which was shot in the United Arab Emirates, the 'Igitego' music video was shot in Rwanda. The video was produced by Bernard Bagenzi at the Nyamirambo-based Incredible Pictures Production.

Her decision to produce the video for ‘Niba Ari Wowe’ outside of her country was taken because she wanted to take her work as an artist to the next level.

“The music video was shot in Dubai," she said. "It’s one of my expensive videos. On an estimate, the video cost between $4000 and $8000." The singer says she hopes that the investment in the video will pay off in the long run.

With work on her third album being the focus for the better part of 2016 and early 2017, Paccy says her work continues to gain attention within Rwanda. ‘Niba Ari Wowe’ has earned her a nomination for Best Video of the Year at the forthcoming Salax Awards. She has also been nominated for Best hip hop artist alongside Danny Nanone, Green P, Riderman and Jay Polly.

For Paccy, the nominations at the awards are a recognition for excellence in the music world: “Awards in Rwanda and across Africa are still growing. The reality is that they promote the music industry. Awards encourage competition which makes artists desire to make their work better.”

Paccy, who writes her own lyrics, says that hip hop is gaining traction within Rwanda. She says the music has improved over the years and continues to influence the general public. She added that musicians within Rwanda need to deliver standard music and improve their strategy for promotion if their work will gain recognition beyond their home country.

She draws inspiration from international artists such as Eminem, and hopes to inspire needy children. “I want to share messages with street children through my songs, " she says. "I wish I could do more than just sing for them, but I believe that through hip hop I can share messages that comfort them.”