Rwanda: New Tom Close album to drop this year

The singer spoke to Music In Africa after he made the announcement a week ago during an interview with a local publication.

He said the release date and venue for the launch would be announced once negations with potential sponsors were finalised.

“Naba Umuyonga will be dropping in the third quarter of 2018,” he said. “I am done with all the recordings but the reason why I'm not conclusive on my launch date is because I'm planning a huge concert and need to put together enough funds for the event to be a success.”

Close said he was in talks with three companies that had supported his events and various charity initiatives in the past.

“I'm optimistic that I will get sponsors because my fans will be a valuable source of revenue for their products or services. I'm in talks about potential concert sponsorship packages with MTN Rwanda, Banque Populaire du Rwanda and Bralima Breweries.”

Musicians in East Africa are catching up to the rest of the world in finding novel ways to capture the attention of fans when launching their albums. This year's regional releases are evidence of that happening.

Tanzanian musician Diamond Platnumz's A Boy From Tandale, which was launched in March in partnership with Kenyan telco Safaricom, was nothing short of spectacular. The singer also flew in American singer Omarion, with whom he collaborated on the album, as an encore act at the Kenya National Theatre in Nairobi.

Close said his upcoming album would feature collaborations with local artists because working with regional artists in the past did not yield the results he wanted.

“I have worked with artists from the region before but the experience was frustrating because I ended up being the only one promoting the song in my country,” he said.

Close has produced Naba Umuyonga independently and says his experience over the years helped make the production process easier.

“This will be my seventh album, so I know what does and doesn’t work,” he said. "For instance, when I started I worked with only one producer but then I realised that recording with different producers not only shortened the turnaround period of production but also allowed for more creativity. That was how I had my album ready in under two years.”

But like most other musicians releasing albums in East Africa, the singer anticipates the distribution process of his latest offering to be an uphill battle.

“Getting your album in the stores is key but it's never easy. That is why once the album is released, my plan is to tour extensively around the country and sell the hard copies because locals barely buy music online. For the diaspora market, the album will be available on iTunes, Amazon and Google Play,” Close said.