In an interview, Katatumba said she was “too big” while growing so she never saw herself as someone men would be attracted to.
But thanks to her sweet voice, she met her ex-husband while performing in a band.
While at Oxford Brookes University in England, she won multiple awards for singing and the dean recommended her to become a lead singer in a live band that regularly performed at Ponanas’ Club on Cornmarket Street in Oxford.
Ward Alonzo was a patron at the club, and one day he approached her. Alonzo would become her first boyfriend and husband.
Angella Katatumba said that when he came to talk to her, she didn't believe it and at first she thought he was trying to talk to people behind her.
He told her he liked her voice, they dated for six months before asking to marry her and they relocated to Chicago, Illinois in the U.S., Alonzo’s country of birth.
They met in 2000, were married for three years and legally divorced after eight years in 2008.
She said he became too controlling and showed a lack of ambition.
Who is Angella Katatumba?
Angella Katatumba, who started participating in talent shows at a young age, was born in Nairobi, Kenya and went to Riverside Farm Nursery School in Nairobo, Kampala Kindergarten, Katatumba Academy in Mbarara and Belmont Secondary School in Canada.
After high school, she went to Oxford Brookes University in England where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Law, and a master's degree in International Management/Public Relations.
While at university, she landed a gig to work as a lead singer with a live band that played at Ponanas’ Club on Cornmarket Street in Oxford, England. She was recommended by the dean who had seen her win talent shows at the university.
They were looking for someone to participate in a live band
They offered her 300 pounds to perform per night.
She left the band after getting married to an American and relocated to Illinois, Chicago where she took on corporate jobs. They later divorced and she returned to Uganda in 2005, the same year that she recorded her first 10-track album. Angella continues to release music while at the same time participating in running family businesses.