Crim Soft bets on timeless music as his audience grows

In an industry where artistes often chase the latest sound, Crim Soft is taking a different route. He wants to make music that will remain relevant long after trends fade.

Born Mwesigwa Joshua Dan, the Afrobeat and Afrosoul singer is building an audience around a sound that blends emotion, melody and a touch of zouk.

Last year, his Spotify monthly listeners crossed 400,000 at one point, while songs from his catalogue have accumulated millions of streams.

For Crim Soft, however, the numbers are only part of a bigger ambition.

“I make quality music to last generations,” he says.

That philosophy is reflected in his stage name. “Crim” comes from “Cream”, which he associates with excellence and being among the best, while “Soft” represents the emotional character of his music. The name also traces back to his school days, when it became his nickname.

His description of his sound is just as deliberate.

“I do Soft Emotional Afrosoul/Afrobeat music with a little touch of zouk,” he says.

From church to the studio

Crim Soft's musical journey started in church, where he grew up singing. But it was during his time at Makerere University Business School that music began shifting from a childhood passion into a serious pursuit.

A university classmate, Ivan, introduced him to producer Gabla Dexta of Nutriq Town Records. The meeting became an important step in his career.

Gabla produced Crim Soft's first professional song, Anita. The two later worked together on songs including Sweeting My Mind and Attention.

One of his biggest songs emerged from an ordinary moment.

After a stressful university examination, Crim Soft returned home looking for a way to unwind. He entered his home studio and started freestyling.

What began as an escape from academic pressure gradually developed into Sweeting My Mind.

He later took the freestyle to Gabla Dexta, who developed it into a fully produced and mastered song. Crim Soft first posted the freestyle on TikTok, where it started attracting attention. The finished song followed about a year later.

Attention followed a similar path.

Inspired by Ckay's By Now, Crim Soft recorded a freestyle over the beat and shared it online. The response convinced him and Gabla that the idea could become something bigger. They returned to the studio, reproduced it differently and turned it into an original song.

For Crim Soft, such moments demonstrate the role experimentation has played in shaping his music.

He counts Nigerian singer Ckay among his major international influences, while Ugandan singer Azawi is among the local artistes whose work inspires him.

But Crim Soft does not want to become a copy of the musicians he admires.

He says his emotional personality naturally drew him towards Afrosoul and Afrobeat. He then began searching for an identity that could distinguish his music from an increasingly crowded field.

“I wanted to create something unique, so I created that style of music in Uganda,” he says.

Music was not always the obvious career path.

Crim Soft holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Makerere University and also studied Pharmacy.

Before establishing himself as a recording artiste, he was already working behind the scenes as a songwriter. His writing credits include Laika Music's Believe.

Eventually, he decided that music deserved his full attention.

“Music chose me and I chose it too,” he says.

That choice has taken him from university freestyles and a home studio to a growing digital audience.

Yet Crim Soft understands that streaming figures can rise and fall. Instead of repeatedly changing his style to match the market, he wants to deepen the sound he has developed and build an audience that identifies with it.

His ambitions also stretch beyond Uganda.

Crim Soft wants his blend of emotional Afrobeat and Afrosoul to travel across borders and encourage other musicians to experiment with the sound.

“I want to spread my music to the deepest parts of the earth and inspire more creatives to join my style of music,” he says.