Afro-soul singer Rosette Kalimba is still an unknown name in the country, even among professional musicians in the country’s close-knit entertainment scene.

Though rarely on stage, the few live performances in Kigali by this hidden talent have seen Kalimba assert her place in the country’s vibrant music scene.

Despite barely earning from it, she enjoys performing for her audience.

“There is a great amount of satisfaction I get when the audience show their appreciate,” she said.

Kalimba, 32, began her music career in 2002, performing as a backup singer for Mango, a renowned legendary Rwandan fusion band whose music incorporated Afro-blues, soul and jazz.

In 2007, she took a break from music to attend to family issues.

Born and partially raised in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo —a powerhouse of popular music in central and eastern Africa, Kalimba has also lived in Burundi and Kenya.

Her cosmopolitan upbringing is reflected in her lyrics and she uses Kiswahili, Kinyarwanda, English and French to appeal to a wide audience.

Following a decade-long break from music, Kalimba returned to the stage with the Ubumuntu song in 2016, which was a collaboration of almost a dozen musicians.

The song featured Kalimba singing in Lingala, a language mainly spoken in Democratic Republic of Congo and Republic of Congo.

However, the powerful vocalist’s biggest stage debut since her return was at the Kigali Jazz Junction, a monthly live event.

Kalimba currently works as a full-time marketing manager for 1,000 Hills Distillery. She gets inspiration from legendary female performers like Miriam Makeba, Tina Turner, and Etta James. Kalimba draws on jazz, blues and soul influences in her performances. She described herself as a soulful artiste.

“I needed to master music, which is why I concentrated on live performances. I want a different and unique sound, which will earn me a place in the industry,” she said.

No record music

The artiste has rarely been featured on local television or radio, since her focus has been on live music. She is also yet to release any recorded music.

Despite her struggle for visibility and to gain a larger fan base, she said the local music industry is steadily changing.

Kalimba believes that artistes need to work on their compositions before releasing their music.

“We don’t know how to read music,” she said, adding that Rwanda’s music talents aren’t highly rated because of this basic formal skill.

Kalimba has been working together with Rwandan audio producer Pastor P since late last year and is finalising her debut album.

While not wanting to reveal too much, Kalimba said the album will incorporate traditional instruments like the Inanga (an oval-shaped harp made out of wood), which is popularly known as the Rwandan guitar.

The much-anticipated album will help attract more attention on this talented vocalist. Its success may enable Kalimba to realise another goal: That of creating a cultural centre where aspiring young musicians can meet and share.