Singer Silver Kyagulanyi at one moment in his music career didn’t have the slightest idea of what step to take next after a full year of struggle in music. He needed a confirmation straight from God.
The established song writer says getting down on his knees to pray paved way for his break out single “Omuzadde katonda” that earned record sales in Uganda the year his album was released, 2000.
“After my first Album, the second year was dry. I was finding a lot of problems in studio. As I was doing my third album, I had accepted Christ… I remember very well – I used to ask God, that; if there is one song that blesses You, give me a sign that you are with me.
“And what happened there after? There is that album called “Omuzadde Katonda”, for avoidance of doubt, it was the best selling album that year, in the country.” Silver Kyagulanyi said recently during the Red sofa sessions at Garden City root top, Kampala.
“That was the beginning, and when I saw that sign,” He added. “It was easy to accept Christ because from the beginning, He loved me first. Those are the things He was showing me. From that time I knew I was in the right place.”
Introduced to Witch Craft.
“There are times you see intermittent problems happening to you. With a friend of mine, as we were chatting, it was very easy for him to know that things were not going very well. He told me we had to see a witch doctor and do some rituals. And that it the only way I could survive. This was 2001. Of course it was going to take money.”
Silver says when he told the friend that he did not have the money to pay the witch doctor, he gladly volunteered to take up the expense.
“I was there for a while, but it was very easy for me to see that it was not working. This opened my eyes to the new world. It took me about 3 months to know that I needed Christ in a new way. There was a Church at Bat Valley theater that I used to attend. I used to go there with all my problems. That time nothing good was happening to me. At that Church, I wrote a lot of songs.”
There is a testimony of one girl that stalled and amazed Silver Kyagulanyi as he sought to find comfort in Church at that time.
“A girl was giving a testimony that she got so sick and when she would open her eye lids, maggots would fall out. Whether that was a true story or not, it really touched me. In my heart of hearts, it was ok. I said if there is a God that can do this, if there is a God that can heal such people, then my problems are so little.”
Elsewhere, Kyagulanyi, who will this year mark a decade of marriage to wife Jalia, said marriage is about interdependence.
“A person who is not independent, does not qualify to be married.” He stated. “Many times when you talk about independence, people think about money. What is [most] important about independence is emotional independence. If you are emotionally independent, then you can go into a marriage ready to offer something. If you are not emotionally independent, you are going to be selfish, needy.”
Contrary to what couples believe that need is love, Silver says “needing someone” and “loving someone” are two different things.
People who are not emotionally independent need, he notes.
“You have to get to the point of loving. In marriage, two people come together to complement each other. This [complement each other] does not mean you are always on the receiving side.” He says.
The singer went to Nswanjere Junior Seminary in 1990 and later joined Kisubi Seminary in 1995. He sat for A-level at St Charles Lwangwa Secondary School, Masaka. He was admitted to Makerere University’s Mass Communication programme but left for lack of interest. He joined the Music Dance and Drama programme where he specialized in music and later still enrolled for law studies.
The Red sofa sessions will in June 2017 host other notable Christian figures to share their life experiences as attendants additionally network and are entertained by several gospel musicians.
aaron@ugchristiannews.com
