Singer Liane Nakaweesi says a lack of funding has been one of the biggest factors slowing down her music career, including an investment that was twice diverted to other expenses.
Born Lillian Nakaweesi, the singer says her relationship with music began during childhood in Kawempe, where she grew up despite hailing from Bukunda in Masaka as her ancestral home.
Liane recalls becoming a lead singer in Sunday school before developing her creative interests further through dance and, later, acting.
“I started doing music in Sunday school. I remember I was a lead singer, and in primary school, I did creative dances,” she said.
She entered commercial music in 2010 after signing with UG Music, a company run by Darius and Ssali, who also managed artists including Rabadaba and Empress at the time.
But more than a decade into her professional journey, Liane says the road has been far from easy.
According to the singer, artists without sufficient financial resources or a strong management team can struggle to sustain their careers.
“The challenges in the music industry are very many, but to begin with, if you don’t have enough resources and a good team to work with, it becomes hard,” she said.
For Liane, funding eventually became the biggest obstacle.
She recalled investing money into her music business and entrusting someone with managing the funds, only to later discover that the money had been used for other personal obligations.
“I believe what has stopped my music from moving is that I don’t have funding. Even the last time I invested in music, I gave someone money to run this business, and they used it for their other stuff,” she said.
The situation happened twice, according to Liane, who said she was later told that some of the money had been used to pay school fees for the person’s children.
“He even told me that he used it to pay his children’s school fees, and he did it two times. I completely lost the steam to run this music business. Then I chose to go on a break.”
Despite the setbacks, Liane says her passion for music has not disappeared. Instead, she has learned to step away when the industry becomes emotionally difficult.
Away from her career, Liane also opened up about her personal life. She said she is yet to marry or have a child and acknowledged that fear of childbirth has contributed to her decision not to rush into motherhood.
“I’m yet to have a child and husband. But it’s a long story. Okay, it’s not long, but I fear giving birth. I have a lot of fear when it comes to that,” she said.
Liane, who describes herself as a born-again Christian, also addressed discussions about witchcraft in Uganda’s entertainment industry. While saying she does not want to believe in it, she said she does not completely dismiss its existence.
For now, Liane’s story is one of a musician whose passion has survived financial setbacks, disappointment and periods away from the spotlight.