How heavy hitters helped Crysto Panda score a duet with Sheebah Karungi

"He opened my eyes," said Panda while appearing on Wolokoso UG Extra, recollecting his conversation with DJ Omutuze, real name Jacob Ahimbisibwe.

The first person Panda thought about collaborating with was Sheebah Karungi, however, he feared talking to her, on top of worrying about the amount she would ask to collaborate with him.

However, he had worked with Artin Pro and Nessim, household names that had produced top songs for artistes under Jeff Kiwanuka's Team No Sleep (TNS). Sheebah was also under TNS at the time.

Both producers talked to Kiwanuka, who also goes by Jeff Kiwa.

Pro talked to him first and Nessim closed the deal.

After convincing Kiwa, Nessim called Panda over the phone that Jeff had agreed and he should talk to Khalifah AgaNaga to write the lines that Sheebah would sing.

He was willing to do it for free but Panda offered him the little he had.

Kyoyina Omanya was originally produced by Artin Pro. The remix was recorded at Nessim's studio but Pro still produced it.

The video was shot by Aaronaire who also offered Crysto Panda a good deal.

The media personality, who also currently works with NRG Radio, was born Herbert Kityamuwesi, and he hails from Kabonera, Masaka

He lost his father when he was 10 and the mother died when he was in high school.

Panda went to St. Jude Nursery and Primary School, Najjanankumbi and his school fees was paid by celebrated actor and media personality Charles James Senkubuge.

Senkubuge later joined politics as Panda was entering secondary education and he couldn't support him anymore, so he connected him to a non-profit that supported his education through high school. He went to different schools, including St. Monica High School, Bukunda and St John's S. S. Kabuwoko.

With support from MP Medard Segona, he joined Datamine Technical Business School Makerere to do a diploma in IT but he had to apply for a dead year shortly because he couldn't afford fees and Segona had a lot of things he was pursuing to offer him the support he needed.

After taking a break from school, he started visiting a studio where one day he met a pastor who would introduce him to Prophet Samuel Kakande who started offering some financial support.

Panda also started frequenting the screening of NBS TV's Youth Voice where he would contribute from the audience. At the time the show was hosted by Humphrey Nabimanya.

He later talked to Senkubuge who invited him to join Bakiyimbira Dramactors where he learnt video editing. Here, he met someone who was producing a show he would later host at WBS TV.

He also started doing screen and voice tests at NTV and it took about three years before Edris Matu Segawa, the producer who took a flyer on him in 2015 to co-host T-Nation.

He was on probation for a year and got a contract in April 2016 that offered him Shs700k per month. The money helped him to return to Datamine to complete his diploma but this time he did journalism and the school offered him half bursary.

Then in 2016, while at Nessim's studio, he played a beat and sang over it with Da Agent. The song is called Sagala Manya. Panda had gone to interview Nessim.

His breakthrough was Kyoyina Omanya after a remix with Sheebah Karungi.