Big Eye explains Eddy Kenzo’s polished spoken English

Singer Ibrahim Mayanja, better known as Big Eye, has weighed in on what he believes is a marked improvement in his old friend Eddy Kenzo’s spoken English. 

The singer noted on Tuesday that there was a “big difference” in how Kenzo now expresses himself compared with the past when his English was “terrible”. 

He speculated that Kenzo’s eloquent wife, who is a minister, may play a role in helping him refine his language. 

“Back then (Kenzo)’s English was terrible but today it is far much better. When he speaks in public, there is a big difference now. I think he’s worked hard on it,” he said.

“I think it is his wife who is helping him. You know he’s got a wife that is eloquent in English – a minister. My guess is, you may find that she wakes him up for “winter” (early morning study)”

The two performers go back many years. Kenzo started his own record label, Big Talent Entertainment, and Big Eye was once part of that group for about a year before leaving to establish his own label, Big Music Entertainment. 

In interviews, Kenzo has stated that he was the one who brought Big Eye into Big Talent, a point the latter has at times disputed,and their professional paths have since diverged.

In the early days, Kenzo and Big Eye worked closely together and reportedly enjoyed a brother-like friendship as they toiled to break into Uganda’s music scene. 

However, after Big Eye left the Big Talent fold, tensions surfaced, with Big Eye at times criticising Kenzo’s leadership and qualifications within the industry.

Today, Kenzo is not only a globally recognised artist with hits like “Sitya Loss” to his name and a first Grammy nomination under his belt, but he is also pursuing personal development outside music, recently enrolling at university through a mature age entry scheme.