Japa Dollar is one Ugandan musician with the greatest number of face book likes amounting to 156, prolific music producer/artist who is constantly working hard on various musical projects.
When was your introduction into the music industry?
Honestly, I can not remember. I can say since I was born. My mother was a school teacher and my uncle a DJ. There was always music of some form in our house. As a child, I was inthe school choir and in drama class which I loved so much. One of my brothers had a guitar at home. I remember learning to play it at the age of 8.
In my early years in the industry, I was in a group of 7 called La familiar. We were mainly doing RNB/HIP HOP SONGS. We recorded lots and lots of songs and used to perform in venues here in London. As time went by, the group fell apart. I was verykeen on producing my own music so I bought my own recording equipment. So using these Pro tools, I was responsible for most of the music production for the group and other artists in London and beyond.
After a while, I decided to record my own music. The first of my Album was called Deep and Deeper _ EP which featured various UK and US stars like Solomon Childs of the Wu Tang Clan and Trife Dieasel among others. This album was released in 2009 on both CD and digital download format and is available for download all over the world. The first single for this album was called Deep and deeper and it had massive air play in the UK and the video had a great rotation on different TVs too. Deep and Deeper _EP was followed by Certified Hustler and then Tonight plus a lot of single releases, the most recent of which is Gaswadde featuring Mikie Wine.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years to come?
I think I will be sitting on top of the world running a successful record company and expanding my other businesses.
How do you combine music with other work?
Like any other work, music is very hard work that requires lots of focus, dedication and constantly being innovative. Fortunately, most of my work is music related so most of the time it is easy for me to do just that.
When I am not at music, I am doing my school research. At present, I am doing a Masters degree in Social Sciences majoring in social policy and planning and criminology at the Open University London.
You currently have lots of fans all over the world. On your official face book page I saw you have over 156,000 likes. That’s amazing, how do you manage that?
Oh well, apart from them loving the material I put out and who I am, I don’t really know. I am really grateful to my fans for their love and support. I am really humbled that so many people appreciate my work.
What should your fans expect from you in 2014?
I am working on my fourth album now. That is going to be exciting because I ventured into musical genres that I had not ventured in before. I am presently working on a new single called Komawo eno eka whose video I will shoot in Uganda come February 2014.
Finally. Any advise for upcoming Ugandan Artistes?
Wow, I am amazed by how much talent there is in Uganda! The way the music industry works in Uganda is a bit different So I don’t think that I can really advise much. The only thing I can say is that keep on working hard, believe in yourselves and feel free to try some thing different. You don’t have to do what the next man does.
