Ugandan singer Ava Peace is pushing back against veteran media personality Omulangira Ndausi after he labelled her a “failed project” under talent manager Jeff Kiwa, saying someone with his experience should be offering guidance rather than publicly putting her down.
The TNS singer delivered a sharper response during a recent interview, questioning Ndausi’s approach to evaluating her music career and revealing that she did not even know who he was before the controversy brought his name to her attention.
“Truth is that I didn’t know Omulangira Ndausi. That’s true. It was my first time to learn about him. We’re over 45 million people in Uganda, so it’s okay not to know someone. But I got to learn about him,” Ava Peace said.
Her comments come weeks after Ndausi sparked debate with his assessment of her progress in the music industry.
The veteran media personality questioned how far Ava Peace had progressed despite working under Jeff Kiwa, a talent manager associated with nurturing and promoting musical talent.
Initially, the singer appeared to take the criticism in stride. She responded diplomatically, reminding Ndausi that Rome was not built in a day while questioning what informed his assessment of her journey.
However, her latest remarks suggest she was particularly disappointed by the way the criticism was delivered.
Ava Peace said she expected more from someone who, according to what she had heard, had spent more than two decades in the entertainment industry.
“I expected something better from him because, according to what I’ve heard, many people have told me he has been in the industry for over 20 years. I expected him not to put me down but to maybe give me advice instead of just letting me down,” she explained.
The singer believes Ndausi’s experience should put him in a position to guide emerging musicians, particularly those still working to establish themselves in the competitive Ugandan music industry.
She made that position even clearer when she suggested that constructive advice would have been more useful than a public assessment of her career.
“He’s old enough to give me advice, not to let me down. I feel like it would be better if he came as someone who’s advising me rather than putting me down,” she added.
At the centre of the disagreement is the question of how Ava Peace’s musical career should be measured, particularly given her association with Jeff Kiwa and the expectations surrounding artists managed by established industry figures.
While Ndausi’s “failed project” description questioned the singer’s progress, Ava Peace appears more concerned about the manner in which experienced industry personalities critique upcoming artists.
For now, the singer is making her position clear: she is open to advice, but she would rather receive constructive guidance than be written off before her musical journey has run its course.