Up-close with Jose Chameleone

This was probably another one of those hard interviews where in this case Chameleone did like coming to town during the day and as we all know you will never get a good interview.  The stated venue was at his studio located at his home in Seguku  off Entebbe Road. 

Chameleone

Joseph Mayanja a.k.a ‘Chameleone', some people have even gone further to shorten it to ‘Chamili’ (Chameleon, no offence). To most people in Uganda when it comes to music, this is their Michael Jackson. His music is enjoyed by all kinds of people, all ages (I was surprised to find nursery kids singing his songs, some of you have seen it too). Even those who can’t understand the meaning of the words love him too.

Chameleon went to Nakersero Primary School. Later on he headed to Kawempe Moslem for his O’Level and later finished at Progressive. He started his road to fame while in Kawempe. This is how it all began. It all started when there was an open competition to write the School Nation Anthem, he entered and he won the competition. Chameleon started singing in clubs like Club Ecstasy. After this he went to work at Mukono Colline Hotel. This is where actually his background really began. He later on sought for higher clubs e.g. Club Cadillac in Rwanda where he worked as an MC. He sang some of his own songs but they were not yet recorded.

He later on proceeded to Burundi as an MC. This was because he was a good MC and he was on a high demand. He later decided to come back to his country, Uganda and start on his music career. When he came back to Uganda, he started working with Shanks VVD. They recorded a song together called ‘Forgive and Forget’. Shanks VVD later on left for Rwanda and Chameleon was left alone (to decide his fate).

He later on decided to seek bigger studios in Nairobi (the famous Ogopa DJs). While in Nairobi, he linked up with Bebe Cool and Redsun and came up with ‘Mikono juu’, which became a number one hit single on East Africa FM. He wrote ‘Bageya’ and did it with Redsun. This is the song that made Chameleon in Nairobi. It became number one in Nairobi with it being played on all radio stations and discos.

Chameleon released an album called ‘Bageya’ which consisted of songs like ‘Gwe Wange’, ‘Kabwa nango’ and many more. After all this he sat down and wrote what he considered to be his major hit, ‘Mama Mia’. He did not launch this album, and since he had spent so much time in Kenya that he was considered a local, he decided that he should promote it in Uganda, his motherland. He came and promoted it in various radio stations. Here he worked with Alex Ndawula and Dj Rota and this album did so well.

After all this he released ‘Njo Karibu’, an album and it consisted of songs like; ‘Tompitangako’, ‘Saama’, ‘Cyane’ which is in Rwandese, ‘Julie’ and many more. After this he released ‘Dorotia’. It consisted of songs like; ‘Nekolela mali’, ‘Ndio Wewe’ which he did with Halima Namakula and many more. After this Chameleon released ‘Beyi Kali’ consisted of songs like ‘Sauti ya dahabu’, ‘Nawu Mia’, ‘Kuma Obwesigwa’, ‘Julie (remix)’, e.t.c. After this he releases what happens to be his latest album ‘Mambo Bado’ which consisted of songs like; ‘Mambo Bado’, the famous ‘Jamila’ hit, ‘Gwenafuna’, ‘Nkusaba’ and many more. This man has produced songs in that he has started mixing up which song was on which album. Some people believe that Chameleon releases a maximum of 3 albums a year and each is better and hits like… I can’t explain it. He’s that good.

Between all these albums he released Leone Island Volume 1 and 2. It consists of song like of members of Leone Island like Weasel, Lizard, Mr. X, Moses, Chagga, Red Bunton. This compilation consists of songs like ‘Mama Wange’, which Chameleon did with Orlando, ‘Baby Girl’ by Mr. X, ‘Pony Tail’ by Red Bunton, ‘Atufako’ a gospel track by Chameleon, ‘Nsimye gwe’ by Chameleon and many more.

Chameleon writes, produces and markets his own music. Buju Bunton, who introduced him to the works of the Legend Bob Marley and also reminded him that he was African, inspires him. He has also done various tours in places like Seattle, Boston, Stratford Rex in UK (Sources say that he is the only Ugandan artist who has filled that place), Sweden, Dar-es Salaam, Rwanda, Kenya and obviously several in Uganda. His message to upcoming musicians is never to forget their African heritage and always know their goals. His favorite Ugandan musician is General Mega Dee because he hit so hard and slipped off the chart and made successful come back, his same original style in other words he didn’t change his style of music. Ten years from now he sees himself as a big time producer.

Given chance, Chameleon would change the Copyright Law and basically create fairness in the Music Industry. About the PAM Awards he said that the people should be rewarded where they deserve.

Apart from being a musician, Chameleon is also an artist. I had a chance to see some of his works and they are incredibly life like, they capture the essence of their subjects.

Like his name suggests, he is rather colorful with blond hair and flashy dressing. His debut hit 'Mama mia' became so big in the East African region that it almost needed a minister of state to cater for it’s fans! He mainly composes his music in Kiswahili, which is spoken in many parts of East Africa and in Luganda, which is very popular among partygoers in Kampala. It is for this reason that his music has sold a lot in the region, most especially in Kenya where his career was nurtured. His music is so melodious that even those who do not understand the lyrics end up bobbing their heads to the sound. He also made an appearance at the Sanyu FM show at Munyonyo and the crowd went absolutely bananas when they saw him on stage, even before he had done anything. He uses a style that those in the Ragga circles call "ruff neck."

Chameleon released his "Njo Karibu" album in style one Saturday, early 2002 at Sabrinas Saturday with special guest artists like Red Banton helping him to keep the crowd entertained. He organized a full live band to accompany his performance which was quite unique in for a change. He had earlier planned to release this album in London at "Pier one nightspot" with Red Banton but later changed plans. They however managed to make it to the UK and staged various shows for over a month later that year.

Chameleon is set to officially launch his latest 'Mambo Bado' album during two occasions over on Friday and Saturday. The Friday (26th March 2004) edition of the launch is for VIPs and shall take place at the Hotel Equatoria poolside. The very next day on Saturday, there will be a 'Street Bash Launch' at Club Obbligato along Old Port Bell road in Kampala.

The new six-track album features the lead hit track 'Gwenafuna kati' which is already receiving massive rotation on regional radio stations.

The album was produced in his Leon Island recording Studio, which Chameleon owns and manages.

Thursday, January 20th, 2005
 
 By Steven Tendo
 tendo@musicuganda.com

A party at which Jose Chameleon will perform will turn out to be the answer to your wildest dreams. The tension in the air just before the star hits the stage is so evident, you could reach out and cut it with your razorblade. The crowd will be trying to hide the anticipation as the other artistes do their thing. The only reason they usually do not throw an egg or a boo will probably be that they know that after this farce, after the pretentious act, there is going to be a roof raising performance and for that, they will go through any kind of performance.

Chameleon has a stage presence that has not been seen very commonly in these parts. It is safe to say no one can pull a crowd as he can. When he is up o that stage, an objective onlooker will note that what is happening is not an everyday occurrence. It looks like a supernatural being left the home of the deities and pitched camp in East Africa at that moment. And this will happen every weekend.

So, when I meet him for the first time in person, I am awestruck, not because I am basking in the glory of a superstar, but because he is so…human, for luck of a better word. So human because when he comes out to meet me, he is dishevelled and untidy. He is coming straight out of bed and all along, I have been thinking that I am very late and probably, he will throw me out for being a bad timekeeper. When he comes out, he points two fingers at me and shoots, just like we all used to back in the day when we thought it was so cool to be the man with the gun.

But he is ready to dive straight into the interview. This lanky, rough voiced icon of most starry-eyed kids was born in 1978 in a family of seven. He is one of the six boys and one girl born to Gerald Mayanja and Prosy Musoke. “I am the third born in my family,” he says. “Family is and has always been an important aspect of my life.” This is verifiable seeing as he sprinkles the names of his family in his songs. His brothers' names always crop up and it seems like wherever he goes, he wants to take them with him. A case in point is his younger brother, Weasel, who is signed to Chameleon's Leon Island Records and who is a rising star in his own right.

“There has always been the influence of music in my life,” Chameleon states, matter of factly. “Two of my maternal uncles were good musicians. My dad was in a brass band and my grand dad played guitar at home.” Chameleon tells of the thrills that he had growing up with all these ‘artistes' surrounding him and it is not surprising that he went down this road. This is what we would think, naturally but he gives another picture.

“Though I had all this music in my life, my parents were initially opposed to my interest. Like many parents in Uganda, education took precedence over everything else and following my musical dreams was going against their wishes,” he tells me. But fortunately, he won them over to his way of thinking.

When did the musical bug bite him? He looks up as though, he is looking back into the past, a faraway look in his eyes. “ My passion for music started in earnest when I was 13. At that time, Jamaican music was all the rage in Uganda. Artistes like Shabba Ranks were the heroes of every little boy and that strange style bewitched me. At 15, Chaka Demus and Pliers, another Jamaican duo came to town and that is when I realised that they were actually singing in English. That is when I realised that it was not so hard after all.”

Chameleon had his woes developing his music into the well-known, well-loved style that we could die for today. Back then; he would sneak out of the house to go clubbing, thinking he was cleverer than his parents were, just as all of us think at some point in our lives. He would ask for the mic and try out his vocals. His bigger brother Humphrey had a band called Prestige and Chameleon would be seen sweating away, trying to perfect a beat. Never did he dream that one day, these efforts would define a whole new style for the region.

But his guardian angel was probably smiling on him all through this. He joined Kawempe Muslim secondary School and to his consternation, he discovered that the school had no anthem. “Jokingly, I composed one as a response to his brother's dare. This anthem was a hit with the school administration and I won a scholarship to study for free.” He reminisces as he leans back with the air of a man who has just accomplished a big project.

So where did the name Chameleon come from, I ask. “ I have not been called Chameleon all my life. Initially, I was just Jose.

But I realised that Jose was so common; everyone could claim the name and no one could stop them,” he explains. But at about 16, there was an incidence that brought about the change and ironically, the new image was born out of an act of rebellion. “One night, coming back from an illicit dance, I found my parents waiting for me at the spot at the window where I thought no one else knew. Shamefaced and repentant, I was given a dressing down but the one that stuck most was the lecture my mother gave me about the importance of adjusting to my environment. She told me that I had to be like a Chameleon because that is the only way I could survive in the cruel world I was living in. She told me that at that time, the important things in my life included music and I had to be a chameleon; to adjust in such a way that the music did not bring down my world. I had to learn how to control it and not the other way round. My brothers for some reason found it very amusing and they started calling me Chameleon. And I thought it was kind of cool so I decided to take it on as my stage name.” The train of thought is broken by some shouts from the back of the house. The many artistes who are making their mark because of Leon Island are all behind there. It seems there is a minor disagreement that that has exploded into rash words.

Chameleon then tells of his break onto the scene from almost absolute obscurity. His journey started with him getting a bus to Nairobi. “I took that journey with only the shirt on my back and with only Ug sh. 4000 in my pocket. I travelled on a free ticket on the Mawingo bus, sitting in the corridor on a stool because my friend Adam had a relative in the bus company. I travelled with a heavy heart because the one person I thought would understand my ambitions, my first girlfriend had decided to dump me.” The first days in Nairobi where hell. A stranger in a place that was inhabited by suspicious people, he did not know where his dream would stop.

Unlike many other artistes who trek to Nairobi for the simple reason that they feel that they are being witch hunted, Chameleon travelled because he believed that his dream could only come to fruition if went to Nairobi. “Kampala had a few studios at that time and they were very expensive. We had Bava and Kasiwukira as the main studios and they were not producing the music that I had in mind. To come out with an album would have cost me Ug sh. 1m and I did not have that kind of money or that kind of time to wait till I got it. So I decided to split,” he recalls.

His contacts in Nairobi included DJ Mose, who was associated with Kalamashaka, Big Ted, Kevin Ombajo and Red San. Mose was influential in setting Chameleon up with the organisers of Miss Kenya, at which he curtain raised with Bebe Cool and Red san. In fact, this was where he met Red San and it was the start of a very great friendship. Chameleon did not understand Swahili very well and red san took him under his wing and tutored him, in a way. Chameleon had to learn because every time he went out with his friend, he could not hang with the pretty girls because of the language barrier. At that time, Bebe Cool Chameleon and Red San were crashing in very squalid quarters in Kibira.

Chameleon fell out with Bebe Cool while still at this home. “He was the rich one among us and he was rubbing it in hard. He had been in Nairobi for longer and whenever our group went out and made some money, the bulk of it went to his girlfriend. This irritated us. Red san had left his comfortable home to crash with us and even through all this, he stayed on. That is why he is the one person I respect with all my life,” the star asserts.

Chameleon's fortunes changed when he met Gweth, the woman who later became his girlfriend, the famed Dorotia. Walking through the grounds of Carnival, he came across her. He ad seen her earlier on in Uganda. She was working for an NGO and she had seen him at one show back home in Uganda. She went with him to the tiny studio that doubled as the home of the three struggling artistes and she saw the carpet that was their mattress. “Only Bebe Cool had a pillow and Gweth was petrified,” he remembers. “She insisted that I leave that place and move in with her in the plush house she had in Lovington.”

Chameleon's fortunes were rising. Dorotia financed his first hit, Bageya and since then, he has never looked back. But Uganda seemed to have rejected him. “One day, I was in the club in Uganda and Bageya was played. I was dumbfounded. I had not released it in Uganda but it had found its way here. I went up to the DJ and told him that song was mine. He said it could not be. He had got the CD from a friend in Burundi,” he exclaims incredulously.

His music is based on what he is feeling so you could say it is feel – music. “Mama Mia was inspired by my first love, my first heartbreak. She was more interested in money and she thought I could not make it. But even after a year after she left, I still felt the freshness of the wound she inflicted,” he says. “ Jamila was my first crush, my first kiss and my first great fiend. We drifted apart due to changes in schools. She resurfaced in 2000 and I met her in Angenoir Discotheque. She told me she was living in South Africa with an abusive man. In 2003, I met her brother and he told me she had died. I thought about the innocence we had and what we had grown into. I thought about all the good times that we are forced to throw away because the world will not let us keep them as we travel through life,” Chameleon explains in a very pensive mood. All his other songs aim at showing the best way to change the world. They show that it is possible.

And our star is not all about words. He is a humanitarian at heart. The war going on in the north of the country is case in point. With a whole generation living with no sense of what it feels like to live without the constant sound of mortars and bombs, Chameleon and Kawesa, another great musician came up with 3 Hours Away. It is a programme aimed at bringing the reality of the suffering up north to Kampala. They felt that many people had grown insensitive and they did not care anymore. Yet what the person in the north need was the hope that this war will end one day and they will live in peace. “We have decided to do our lot in our small way. We take celebrities to spend a weekend with the children. It is not about sending clothes that matters.”

This artiste has East Africa at heart. “One thing we must realise as entertainers in the region is that there are no boarders anymore. We must work together as one to take the levels of music and entertainment to new levels. That is the only way music is going to be of use to our people in East Africa.” And it is about time that I bade farewell. My time is up.