Females in music have been underrated over the years as music was always considered a male dominated area of entertainment. In recent years that aspect has been changing at a faster rate and females are now being given opportunities, respect and acknowledgement they deserve. Uganda have seen insurgence of very incredible female musicians over the years from Juliana Kanyomozi, Lydia Jazmine to the new school Azawi, Spice Diana and Sheebah – just to mention a few. These females have proven many wrong by dominating the airwaves in different genres of music in Uganda.
Sheebah – born Sheebah Karungi on the 11th November 1989 – is one of the pioneers of the new age music in Uganda. She is a musician, dancer, actress and well known female activist in Uganda. She begun her career as part of a successful all girl group called Obsessions which was massive in the early 2000s in Uganda. The Obsessions started as a boys and girls group and later split. The group then became all girls with Cleopatra Koheirwe, Brenda Nambi, Sharon Nalukenge, Jackie Tusiime. Later on, they all scattered, and people like Sheba Karungi joined but left later on. In the end, it was just Nalukenge and Tusiime.
After her departure from Obsessions, Sheebah launched her solo career as musician and went on to release a couple of singles that received medium reception. It was till when she released her hit single “Ice Cream” is when the name Sheebah as a solo artist gained weight in Uganda and across the borders. She went on in 2014 to release her debut solo project, “ice cream” a five track EP which did well commercially and led her to win back-to-back HiPipo Music Awards Best Female Artist in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. She also won the Artist of the Year award twice, in 2017, 2018, and 2019 at the HiPipo Music Awards. Sheebah’s success in music has been evident not only in Uganda but the entire music universe in the world.
When marking her 12th year in music on Wednesday 16th August 2023, Sheebah made an exciting announcement that she is now the proud owner of a recording label. This news came in as a surprise to many – considering she is scheduled for a battle against her fellow female artist and peer Cindy – but also as history making news. With the launch of Karma Music Uganda, Sheebah becomes the first female artist in Uganda to start, own and run a music label.
During the launch of the label, Sheebah didn’t hide her excitement and it was clear that this milestone means a lot to her and the entire music industry in Uganda. The record label is set to find new talents aimed at discovering the next generation of music superstars. Participants are required to record a one minute video singing any of their songs, plus an introduction at the end, post the clip on their social media accounts and tag @sheebaricherthisyear, @karma_musicug and include the hashtag NextBigStar, karmahitmaker.