He was evicted only a week into last year’s Rated Next competition that runs on Urban TV, even when he was one of the fans’ favourites, but he promised not to give up on his music dream.
On Thursday night, Elijah Kisakye, who is known by Elisongs among his peers, finally won a music search competition when he walked home with audio and video recording contracts with Talent Africa and Deuces Entertainment respectively.
This was at the Vodafone WhatsApp Mania music competition grand finale at Jazzville, Bugolobi. The first runner-up, Charlene Kasumba, only won an audio contract.
Prior to the grand finale, Elijah posted the biggest number of views on the competition’s website from Day One and it’s not by coincidence that even when the big day arrived his name sat well in the hearts of the hundreds of guests who attended the event.
In his opening remarks, Vodafone Uganda CEO Allan Richardson said; “Vodafone is passionate about all things technology and what it can do to enable young people achieve their dreams without barriers”.
The judges were Peter Miles, who also performed on the night with his other singing half Menshan, Vodafone’s Rukh-Shana Namuyimba, Swahili Nation’s Ken Daniels Kayongo and arts journalist Moses Serugo.
Vodafone WhatsApp Mania, Africa’s first WhatsApp-based music competition, was launched in January, 2016 to give Ugandans with a dream to become global music icons, an opportunity to kick-start their music careers.
The other contestants were; Michael Mpho, Penelope Nankunda, Fahad Bin Haruna, Winnie Kisa Nakabanda, Mc Young Wizy, Oloya Joel, Address K, Apio Lilian, Ashley Gold, Giga. S. Conso, Kenneth Robert, Leonard Muka, Catherine Hellen Nakiwala, and Tumuhairwe Derrick.