Jehovah Shalom is an Award Winning A capella Specialised Singing Group in Uganda Dedicated to Light the World Through Acapella Music

Description

It consists of six capable, ultimate and experienced musicians who are males Elijah, Amos,Samuel,Asaph,Jose,Paulsen..well we also sing on a couple of events to mention;wedding parties,church ocassions,birthday parties,introductions, schools but a few..you can contact us on 0776964496

Visit our site here JehovahShalomAcapellaUg 

The Jehovah Shalom Acapella Music Group, has been together since 2007 and through the years, they have not only grown in age but they have also managed to grow their music group.

In 2007 a group of five boys and two girls, then at Nakaseke SDA Secondary School, sat through a long night to work on their voices.

This, unknowingly, was the start of a long journey that would later morph into the Jehovah Shalom Acapella Music Group.

Theirs was just a dream that had to sail through rough patches in order to see day light.

“It was just a dream we shared among ourselves with two girls. We recorded our first album in 2009,” says Joseph Luyima, 23, a third year student of Biochemistry at Makerere University.

However, the girls dropped off along the way as their parents were not comfortable with their rehearsal schedule that would go on until late in the night – sometimes beyond 11pm.

The five boys stayed on as they thought through their next move and the type of music that would relate to their aspirations. However, they later settled on doing the acapella music genre.

This decision, Luyima says: “Was reached after we watched and listened to a number of Zambian groups”, some of whose songs the group reworked to fit into their genre as well as using them to minister in schools, churches, introductions and weddings.

According to Luyima, the boys think draw their strength from the fear of God and blood relations.

“We are driven by passion. Music is part of us but what keeps us together is because we know and understand each other deeply,” says Samuel Kato Mawejje, 26, a student of clinical medicine at Kampala International University western campus.

No musical instruments

The group does not use any musical instruments but blend their voices to form musicals sounds that resonate in an accapella formation.

At a recent corporate prayer day organised by the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Namboole stadium in Kampala the boys rocked the crowd with one of their songs, We shall sing acapella, sending the crowd into sizzling cheers that illustrated how they have propagated their music among the Adventists and the wider public.

Much of their songs, about 70 per cent, are original compositions written and produced by the group.

They mainly focus on biblical songs through which they preach to people as well as educate Ugandans on the value of music in advancing religion.

They have also composed some songs outside church music such as the Boys 2 Men anthem that they worked on and uploaded on Youtube after they were contacted through a friend, according to Elijah Kyagulanyi, the group’s lead composer and a graduate of general nursing from Kampala University School of Health Sciences.

According to Livingstone Kato, a director in the group, they thought of composing the anthem in appreciation of what the organisation had done through N Jean Hudley, the founder of Boys 2 Men Home and Sanctuary for Youth.

“We composed and did it free of charge, as an appreciation for their contribution to the construction of Kalwanga Primary School in Masaka District,” says Kato, adding that the video was shot in Bwaise, Kampala in a certain church.

Challenges 

However, this has not been without challenges as the group has had to struggle to popularise their music that is not so popular with Ugandans.

The group also has challenges of poor equipment and they have always struggled to put up good performances given that most of the functions they perform on have no sufficient equipment to support their music, according to Brighton Amos Wasswa, 26, one of the founders and a teacher of entrepreneurship at Chemiquip Institute of Health Sciences in Fort Portal.

Best moments

But amid challenges the boys have had some great moments with the most memorable coming in 2013 when they won an acapella competition after beating seven singing groups.

In August they got another moment of glory when they performed at Lady Silvia Nagginda’s birthday. 

On the other hand there have been low moments as they have had to perform at functions and later denied payment.

Group members

1. Elijah Kyagulanyi, 24, attended Ndese SDA Primary School and Hilton High School Mukono before moving to Light Vocational School Bulenga. He moved to Kampala University School of Health Sciences to do general nursing. He is a lead and alto singer and has been composing part of the group’s songs since inception.

2. Paulsen Mande, 24, completed secondary education from Fairland High School in Mukono before moving to Fairland University where he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in IT. Currently he is the group’s finance manager and sings tenor.

3. Samuel Kato Mawejje, 26, went to Light High School Seguku and Nakaseke SDA SS before moving to Kampala International University western campus to study clinical medicine. He also does part time counselling and has been part of the group since 2007.

4. Joseph Luyima, 23, is a third year student of Biochemistry at Makerere University. He studied at St Francis Primary School in Mengo before moving to Merryland High School. He joined the group in 2014 as a composer and lead singer for both tenor and baritone.

5. Brighton Amos Wasswa, 26, is one of the founders and the lead and baritone singer. He is a teacher of entrepreneurship at Chemiquip Institute of Health Sciences in Fort portal. The Fairland University graduate is also the group chairman and a trainer. He also does part time counselling in a number of schools.

6. Asaph Sembubbu Gloria, 24, is the group mobiliser. He studied at Lakeside College Luzira, Katikamu SDA SS before graduating as a teacher from Bugema University. He teaches economics and divinity at Mubende Light SS and he is also a radio presenter at 105.1 Point FM in Mubende. He started with the group in 2007 and does the bass and beat boxing.