'I was determined to leave Uganda for good' – Chameleone

Jose Chameleone has revealed that at one point in his early career, he was fully prepared to leave Uganda permanently in search of better opportunities elsewhere.

Reflecting on his breakthrough years, the singer explained that the local music landscape was sharply divided, and that he felt compelled to start afresh in neighboring Kenya. 

This, he says, was the reason he quickly learnt Swahili 

Upon travelling to Kenya, he found himself surrounded by artists such as Red San who communicated fluently in the language. 

“I didn’t know a single word,” he admitted. “So I embarked on learning as many words as possible, and I built a huge vocabulary.”

“My intention in learning Swahili was to leave Uganda for good,” he revealed, pointing to the intense competition within the local industry at the time.

According to the singer, established musicians at the time were extremely competitive and dominated studio time, leaving little room for emerging acts. 

He cited examples of veterans such as Paul Kafeero and Lord Fred Ssebatta, who could book studios for months on end. 

“Studios were booked 24/7. A single artist like Paul Kafeero could book a studio for 8 straight months and then after him, Lord Fred Ssebatta would go in for another 6 months. We younger artists simply had no space to record music.”

He also described incidents of rivalry that made performing difficult. 

“You could go to a club and try to sing for people, but another artist on stage would hand you a wireless mic after removing the battery,” he recalled. 

“It got to a point where I used to move around with one battery.”

While in Kenya, he resolved to start afresh. 

“So, while in Kenya I decided and said; I am done with Uganda. Let me learn Swahili and establish myself in Kenya. Besides, Swahili as an international language had the prospect of taking me to other countries.”

Though history would see him rise to become one of Uganda’s most influential musicians, Chameleone’s journey, he suggests, was shaped by resilience, reinvention and a readiness to look beyond borders.