PROFILE: Sheebah Karungi; Uganda’s sensual music goddess

By Catherine Apolot

By now, no one doubts that Sheebah Karungi has earned her place at the table of Uganda’s finest artistes.

Early life

Sheebah was born on 11 November 1989 in Kawempe to a Rwandese father and an Ankole mother from Western Uganda. Her mother’s name is Edith Kabazungu. The Nkwataako singer says she has no relationship with her absentee father and she was raised by a single mother in Kawempe. Sheebah has four siblings, three boys and a sister and she is the last born. The  hit-maker joined Kawempe Moslem School for her primary education and she later joined Midland High School from where she dropped out in S2.

Music career

Sheebah says she joined the music industry at a tender age of 15 years as dancer in a group called the Stingers. She left that group and joined the Obsessions, a singing and dancing group in 2006. The group was being managed by Ronnie Mulindwa. When she quit the group in 2009 she pursued her solo career. Her great success came in 2014 after her “ice cream” song.

Sheebah is a member of the Team No Sleep(TNS) music label managed by Jeff Kiwanuka, who is popularly known as Jeff Kiwa.

Singles and collaborations

.Mummy yo

.Beera nange.

Weekend, a collaboration with Nigeria’s Runtown

.Embeera zo, a collaboration with Bruce Melodie

.Muwe

.Munyiiza, a collaboration with Tip Swizzy

.Mundongo, a collaboration with Pallaso

.Go down, low a collaboration with Pallaso

.Ndiwanjawulo

.Nkwatako

.Otubatisa,a collaboration with Irene Ntale

.Waddawa, a collaboration with Chozen

.Kisasi kimu

.Farmer,a collaboration with Ykee Benda

.Omulembe,a collaboration with Aziz Azion

.Ice cream

.Twesana,among others….among others

Away from music, who is Sheebah Karungi?

She loves watching movies and dancing, and admits that she loves children very much though she has no children of her own, yet. She is also passionate about fashion.

Fashion sense

Sheebah Karungi’s fashion sense is guided by how she feels. She says when she feels a little dull, she will wear something dull, when she feels sexy, she will wear extremely sexy, and when she feels like being free, she will wear men’s t.shirts.

Sheebah reveals that she does not follow trends and she does not wear brands only. She says, “I feel I can express myself more through my clothes than words”.