Six years ago, Rwandase star singer Bruce Melodie woke up to find the internet aflame with rumors that he was drunk on stage and even blacked out during a performance in Brussels, Belgium.
"The news spread that Bruce Melodie was too drunk to perform in Brussels," recalls the
Katerina hitmaker who was recently in the country for a media tour.
"It was crazy because I wasn't drunk - I was just extremely tired," Bruce says in an interview with Nairobi News.
Before his performance in the Belgian capital, the Coke Studio featured artist had just finished a show in Kigali and boarded an 18-hour flight to Brussels. Bruce who suffers from aerophobia, says he stayed awake for the better part of the long flight.
Exhausted but determined, he arrived in Brussels with barely enough time to prepare for his scheduled performance.
"I wasn't drunk, I was just exhausted and not myself but it's hard to make it clear. " he maintains.
But Bruce says as a celebrity he has learned to keep his head focused as his life will always be under scrutiny. In the interview, Bruce also opened up other aspects of his musical journey.
What do you miss since you've become famous?
I miss going to the market and shopping for myself. Now I always have things that people pick out for me. I don't have the right to go and choose things for myself. It's very hard to go to public places or restaurants with my kids now because fans are everywhere and I am very grateful for their love and support but I can do the normal things like I would love to.
Have you made any big money mistakes as a musician?
I often spend money on things I don't need. Once I paid almost $3000 (Sh390,00) for expensive headphones and I don't even use them. I even think I stole them.
How easy or difficult is it to make money as a Rwandan musician?
It's very easy if your music is good and you have good management. But we have a very small market. It's not a big country where you can perform everywhere. You have to be strategic.
How does the Rwandan music industry compare to the Kenyan one?
When you listen to Kenyan music, you hear Gengetone and Urbantone. For us it's different, you hear music styles like Zouk. Rwandans love their artists more than anyone else, but they are also open to other artists from all over the world.
Is it easier for a gospel musician to break out in Rwanda compared to a secular artist?
If you have good music in Rwanda, you have the market. They don't check the genre. If you give them good music, they'll support you.
You have done several collabos with Kenyan acts, seems your love for Kenyan music is deep.
I have been in Nairobi back and forth to the extent that I feel like I am Kenyan. I even got my favorite Kenyan dish now Mokimo. This is just to tell you how much I have connected with Kenya. I met Nadia Mukami through Bahati whom we have a song together and then we did
Kipepeo this year. Then there is Bien whom I have been his fan for a long time. When we met we became friends and we recorded so many songs that some are in my album and others in his. He has connected me to several people here.
