In an interview with Mbu, Moise Chitwara a.k.a Moise, a 24-year-old EDM Artist, tells his tale, his dream of changing the East African sound, lifestyle, influences, and his new project “Best Mistake.”
Who is Moise?
I am a Kampala-based Artist, Singer/Songwriter Moise whose full name is Chitwara Moise, currently one of the young new icons tagged to change the face of the Ugandan and East African music industry.
The 24-year-old prodigy born on the 5th of February 1999 is making his way to the top as a mainstream brand with his team, being the very few in his country producing Electronic Dance Music (EDM) and making sure the East African community understands the life and beauty that dwell in the sounds of House music.
In the few years of his career, Moise has been able to collaborate with producers around the globe gradually getting the world’s attention directed towards his community.
His passion for music started at a very young age and he made it visible to everyone around him using music as a tool of expression and a means of conveying his deepest confessions. Besides EDM, Moise also does a fusion of Afrobeat and Pop in his work.
Why did you choose music?
Music is the only way I know how to express all my imagination and emotions without fear of being judged. The creation process of music is so spiritual to me, just so amazing how we recreate people’s feelings without ever having to interact with them.
I chose music because I wanted to change lives to impact the world in a positive way through my art. Something I am gradually achieving.
Why EDM?
To be honest I do more than just EDM. I can do anything, and with time as you get deeper on this journey with me, you are going to discover things so supernatural.
But to answer the question, the main reason why I focused so much on EDM is because it is different from what everybody else was doing in my community. I needed something to Identify with and stand out. EDM as a genre is extremely complex, you don’t just wake up one morning as a producer and decide to make an EDM song if it is not something you have been doing. It takes dedication and true artistry.
Has it entirely been welcomed by Ugandans? If not, what needs to be done?
Honestly, I cannot say Ugandans have not welcomed this type of music, because I had not yet focused on the Ugandan crowd. I guess we are about to find out because my focus is on home now. Ugandans understand great music, and I have seen priceless reactions from a few of them that have heard my work. And to me, this is going to be a great journey introducing my people to something different but so good.
Who inspires you?
I listen to a lot of artists, some are not even big names yet they deliver a hundred percent. What inspires me the most is great art and amazing music that makes me feel like I still have work to do. Yes.
How has EDM changed your life?
EDM has made me a better artist. I have connected with great producers around the world, some have become my brothers. I have learned to create right on time and still deliver 100%. EDM has introduced my brand to places I have not been to in person. I have made some money too.
What are some of the achievements you have gained from your career thus far?
The greatest achievement so far is that people resonate with my music. I have more than half a million people around the world listening to my work every month, making me the most streamed artist on Spotify in Uganda with more than 10 million streams in a period of 2 years.
I have worked with the best independent labels in Europe and America, and collaborated with amazing producers. Established my own audio studio to facilitate my creation process.
Who do you work with on your team?
My team is my family. I have my brother Lucien the best producer I know and a great artist. He is my right hand. My brother Eloi El the director of our visuals a great producer and Artist, he just landed a contract with Sony Music USA and currently working on his debut album, check him out. My man Chris Cheetah, Uganda is not ready for him. He is the Afrobeat maestro focusing on production and sound engineering.
What challenges have you faced thus far?
The biggest challenge is finance. We have a lot planned down but sometimes the money we have is just not enough to accomplish everything at a go. Music is a very expensive process every artist knows this.
In your opinion, what edge/advantages does EDM have over other genres?
EDM is very international, and when done right you can penetrate any region with ease, especially Europe and America. If your goal is to improve your musical knowledge as an artist or a producer, then you might want to try out EDM too you won’t stay the same after you master it.
What is a normal day in your life like?
My normal day is like home, home, home. I’m an introverted man. I work from home, work out from home, and sometimes you can even come home and won’t see me (laughs) because I’m inside in my hideout.
Tell us more about your new project “Best Mistake”. What’s the inspiration behind the song?
My latest project “Best Mistake” is a masterpiece, check it out, please. We worked on this song for about a year…yes one full year. Music is a feeling and there is a feeling we are always looking for in a song when creating it. Until we have that feeling the work isn’t done, man.
I started the track with Lucien mid-way we felt something was missing no matter how hard we tried to fix stuff so I decided to send the track to Piece Wise in the Netherlands to help finalize the project. Initially, I wanted Eloi to sing on the track because we needed that range of vocals that are not deep so my own could not work, but Eloi was busy with other projects so we got J.O.Y on the track and he smashed it, man.
Who did you work on it with?
Piece Wise a Dutch Producer (among the top 100 most streamed producers in the Netherlands) and J.O.Y one of the best vocalists I know also from Europe.
How has the public welcomed it?
The song has hit more than 600,000 streams in less than a month. Insane right??
What are your future plans?
I want to introduce a different sound in the country. I am planning to start a production school with Lucien and train young talented producers because that’s the foundation of music, production.
I’m open to collaborating with artists on the ground as well especially production-wise. They should not hesitate to contact me, we won’t charge them too much but they will be able to get a sound like my own (laughs).
I am creating more music and I’m starting to shoot videos and make them available for my Ugandan people as soon as possible. My future plan is to conquer the world.
