Her Name is Omega

"I am passionate about letting the world know that Africa is so much more than the poverty, sickness and disease that is publicized so heavily abroad. Uganda in particular, is not only 'the Pearl of Africa' but has quite a few pearls to offer the world."
Omega Bugembe Okello

Omega Bugembe-Okello.

You attended Seattle Pacific University (SPU) and earned a degree in Biology with the thoughts of becoming a doctor. What made you change your mind?

She was the little girl who defied all odds. First, she was told that she would have to find other ways besides music to earn a living, although she is blessed with a beautiful voice. Yet she pursued her musical career with the tenacity of a go-getter. At 4 years old, her parents, who recognized that she had a talent, enrolled her into the internationally acclaimed African Children's Choir. The choir usually only enrols children aged 7-12 who are orphans and are residents of Kenya, Uganda or Rwanda. She was not an orphan but her natural musical talent impressed the choir's administration so much that she was allowed to join it. She toured the world with the choir, and it was from this experience that she blossomed into the singer she is today.

African Children's Choir Peforms on Idol Gives Back

"Walking In The Light" By The African Children's Choir

Bugembe Okello, now in her late twenties, describes herself as a bubbly, affectionate Ugandan songstress with a very healthy dose of respect for God and a tender heart towards other people. She has an infectious laugh and is quite capable of projecting her voice squarely into a microphone. When she was 16, her parents sent her to the USA to pursue studies. She tried to balance her studies and her singing with the African Children's Choir, but eventually the academic pull won and she placed her music on hold. She majored in Biology, with the intention of entering the medical field. When she graduated from college in 2001, she took a year off schooling to work in the health care system. That is when she discovered the inequities in the American health care system. This prompted her to join Graduate School at Sarah Lawrence College in New York, where she earned a Masters degree in Health Advocacy.

Eventually, however, as happens to all artists, music would take precedence for Bugembe Okello. Music was so much a part of her and so she inevitably had to answer the calling. With encouragement from her family and many friends who recognized her musical talent, she eventually opened her own production company AlexOm Productions LLC in September 2006. Since then, she has been performing as an artist. Outside of her musical pursuits, she is interested in increasing access to quality health care and in improving education. To this end, Bugembe Okello teamed up with Ugandan and international partners to start the Alpha and Omega School in Kampala, Uganda. The school provides mostly scholarship-funded primary education to over 300 pupils. Bugembe Okello is definitely one of those Ugandan females who are trying to erase the negative international image about Uganda and Africa by showcasing their talent.

She recently had a chat with Jane Musoke-Nteyafas:

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Omega Bugembe-Okello, happily married to a fellow Ugandan.

Jane: Omega, you seem to have had an incredible childhood. Please tell us about that and how you were raised.

Omega: Well yes, I had a rather unusual childhood in that I spent a year and a half touring with a singing group called "The African Children's Choir" when I was four years old. We toured all over the United States, Canada and Europe. From birth, I attended church regularly at the bidding of my mother and by the time I reached my teens, I made the decision to allow myself to lead a lifestyle that is committed to honouring God and still do to it to this day. Singing was encouraged in my family. We were expected to sing during our morning and evening prayer times on a daily basis.

What about your schooling?

I grew up in Uganda and have fond memories of attending several public schools there. Namirembe Kindergarten in Nakulabye, Namirembe Infants School, Nakasero Primary School, Kitante Primary School and on to Makerere College School. I left Uganda for United States in 1995, and completed my last two years of high school at a small private school in Marysville, Washington. I then went to Seattle Pacific University where I attained a Biology Degree, worked for a year and then went on to Graduate School at Sarah Lawrence College in New York where I earned a Masters degree in Health Advocacy. I was raised to be very aware of my special innate musical talent but was informed that although it was a good thing to use my singing voice, other professions would be more lucrative.

You started singing rather early at the age of 4. You were invited to tour the United States and Canada as part of the African Children's Choir. How did you find that experience?

To be honest with you, I was way too young to remember exactly what the experience was like. I do however remember enjoying the adoration any little girl would appreciate in the circumstances. I do believe that my early exposure to the western world did influence my singing abilities greatly. It enabled me to learn the correct skills of letting good notes out, and taking good care of my voice by doing my vocal warm ups before big performances etc. I also got to see many things that most of my age mates in Uganda at the time never espied.

Like what for example?

Like Disney Land and Knotts Berry farm as well as the Vancouver Aquarium in British Columbia, which I'm told had a huge Dolphin at the time. I was fascinated by it and I remember asking: "Is that the whale that swallowed Jonah in the bible?"... and I was told: "that very whale!"

How did it define you as a woman and singer?

To say that it defined me in some way as a woman and singer would be to ascribe too much greatness to the experience. I will however note here, that it allowed me to carefully grasp the meaning of refusing to accept mediocrity. It did also affect the kind of music I was exposed to at an early age, which explains why I sound the way I sound. By this I mean my particular tone of voice, my enunciation when I sing and how controlled my vibrato is.

At what point in your life did you decide that singing was what you wanted to do?

I've always sang. There never was a point in my life as far back as I can remember when I didn't sing. Singing is just what I did. Even when I had a busy college life, somehow I found the time to perform at weddings, university functions and the like. I suppose the defining moment you're looking for me to describe here, is the moment I chose to go full time.

Yes I am...

This only happened recently, last October to be exact. 2006 is when I decided that I was no longer going to settle for utilizing my talent limitedly. I've always known that although everyone in America, plus their dog and cat, can sing, my voice was quite different from everything else that is out there. I felt uncomfortable with the fact that I couldn't hear "well done, good and faithful servant" directed towards me. So I set out to invest my life in fully utilizing my talent.

How did you accomplish that?

I did this by starting my own company called AlexOm Productions LLC. It's a record label and really the vehicle with which I do all the service contracts for musicians, recording, distribution, marketing and booking singing gigs. You know, there's a certain frustration that comes out of leading a life where you're not doing what your life's calling is meant to be. No matter, how great or well paying it is, there's a lack of satisfaction until you do what you were naturally born to do.

I hear you on that Omega. I've been there myself. You performed at the album's release in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in front of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. How was that experience?

The album being mentioned here was my first solo album, backed by the African Children's Choir. I was 16 years old at the time. I really appreciated the exposure and enjoyed having a live orchestra accompanying me on this gig. It was the start of something that is starting to be fully expressed in my artistry. I'm grateful for that experience and I have Ray Barnett and Music for Life (formerly friends in the West) to thank for this incredible experience.

Omega Bugembe-Okello.

You attended Seattle Pacific University (SPU) and earned a degree in Biology with the thoughts of becoming a doctor. What made you change your mind?

Two things made me change my mind: First, I realised that I could help more people if I figured out how to change the health care system in order to increase public access to health care, rather than just helping perhaps 500 patients at a time in a private practice. This is why I opted to do a Master's degree in Health Advocacy (a degree that's got elements of health law, health policy and generates ideas about how one can potentially change the health care system).

Secondly, it also helped that I did not get into the medical schools I applied to. Perhaps it was God's way of letting me know that perhaps this wasn't what he had in mind for me.

What's your process for creating music? Is there a specific formula you follow?

The process of creating music for my own songs isn't formulaic. It depends on the mood I'm in and what my inspiration for writing that particular song is. Many times, I just sit down with my guitar and strum the few basic chords I know and then hum a melody to it. Before I know it, I've got a full length song. From there I sing just what's in my heart, which is usually some kind of appreciation for God's beautiful creation. At other times, I use the Bible for lyrical inspiration. People don't know it but many passages in the Bible describe the current state of affairs in the world. I use those lessons to warn others to change their behaviour, or ask them to be better stewards of the earth. Yet at other times, I can create a song spontaneously if I hear chords that another musician is playing and I can break them into a song. BAM... I have a song!

When my songs are written, I take them to my favourite keyboardist or this great South African acoustic guitar player, express what feel, form and groove I'm looking for. Often, I sing/play the song and work with them to identify what accompaniment I'd like for the song.

How do you come up with the beats? Is it via collaboration between you and the band or do you know what you want it to sound like beforehand?

I usually know what I want it to sound like beforehand but at other times, I'm less controlling and I allow the musicians to give me their input on how they think it should sound. Lucky thing is, when you're the one calling the shots, if you try it and you don't like it, you can go back to the drawing board and do it again till you're comfortable with the feel.

Is it challenging for you to come up with the lyrics?

Coming up with the lyrics isn't a problem for me as I've had many life experiences that I can write about. I'm also an easy talker and a very outgoing person, so I'm rarely in a situation where I'm at a loss for words. And when I am, I write about that.

How would you describe your musical style?

I describe my musical style as a fusion of genres. I don't like being fitted into one genre because I'm able to do quite a few different styles. I am currently doing Jazz mostly but I am good at World and Gospel too.

Any memories of performances you want to share?

Well, well... let's see... There are so many that are worth sharing but the one that comes to mind right now is a performance at a university function in downtown Seattle, Washington. We were in a high rise building when an earthquake hit. If there is anything that can keep you calm during a storm, it is music. I was right in the middle of my song when all the glassware and ice cubes started shaking aggressively. I had never experienced an earthquake, so I wasn't quite sure what was going on. Silverware started slipping off tables and I could see fear written on the audience's faces. Thankfully, I was taught earlier in my singing career to always keep singing regardless of whether the music/musicians stop for some reason or not. I was trained to keep a professional presentation whether or not conditions were suitable. I did just that and managed to sing the crowd right through the earthquake.

Wow! I read about that and I was impressed. Which artists would you love to perform with?

I would love to perform with Samite , Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, Paul Simon. A duet with Stevie Wonder wouldn't be a bad idea, Yolanda Adams, Lauren Hill, Fred Hammond, Herby Hancock and Jonathan Butler.

 

How do you find Uganda's reception of your neo-soul style of music?

Ugandans are a very progressive and highly adaptable bunch. So if you introduce something different but that's of good quality, you'll enjoy a great reception. I'm grateful that my people have received my sounds with open arms.

What kind of music do you listen to?

I listen to all kinds because I believe it opens up more creativity within me. I listen to Jazz hard core jazz and some smooth jazz, Gospel, Soul, a little bit of hip hop, rock, and alternative music.

Who are your role models?

I have many role models that I couldn't list here. However, I'll list two of my favourite ones. The first might seem a little odd to some, but it's Jesus. I strive daily to love people like he did and to have a character like his. I find that it wins me more friends than enemies and propels me to higher heights.

The other is my mother. An incredibly hardworking woman who taught me that no matter how humble one's beginnings, one can improve his/her standing if committed to doing just that. She also taught me to have reverence for God that in turn compels me to love human kind. She's big on appreciating one's natural beauty and she did a great job in teaching me to love myself and appreciate who I am. Further still, she encouraged me to always aim for higher achievements and never settle for the status quo.

What is your driving force to success?

I have a great hostility towards mediocrity. This hostility is what drives me to work hard at what I'm doing. Loving what I do makes it easier to put in long hours... and there have been many months of 15hr work days I can speak of.

Do you read in your free time?

I am currently reading two books simultaneously; Stormy Omartian's The Power of Praying Together and Timothy Ferriss' The Four Hour Work Week.

Where can people find you for live performances?

To find out where I'm performing next, they should keep an eye on my website calendar at www.omegaworldmusic.com

What can we expect from Omega Bugembe Okello in the near future?

Expect two new albums before year's end. For specific release dates, keep an eye on my website. Oh, and by the way my Jazz EP is readily available and can be purchased directly from my website at www.omegaworldmusic.com fans should click on the music tab to access the music.

 

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For more information on Omega Bugembe Okello, please go to
www.omegaworldmusic.com

RELATED LINKS
- Omega A Voice that touches the Soul...
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- \www.africanchildrenschoir.com