Daxx Kartel has sparked a conversation about the definition of a musician in Uganda, arguing that the country has far more performing artists than actual musicians.
The singer shared his assessment of the local music industry during a discussion featured on Galaxy TV’s Jikonkone Rewind, saying Uganda has only a limited number of musicians.
“We’ve very few musicians in Uganda. Most of us are just performing artists,” Daxx Kartel said.
Daxx went on to explain that, in his view, being a musician involves more than singing or performing songs.
“Musician means someone or a creative who knows how to play instruments not just singing alone,” he said, drawing a distinction between musicians and artists whose primary role is vocal performance.
He also separated performing artists from recording artists, arguing that some creatives primarily operate in the studio and may not necessarily be strong live performers.
“We also have recording artists. Those are not also good at performing. Their work only ends in studio,” Daxx added.
His comments effectively challenge how the term “musician” is commonly used in Uganda, particularly in an industry where singers, songwriters, producers, instrumentalists and live performers often fall under the same broad category of artists.
Beyond the terminology, Daxx used the discussion to call for a broader focus on the future of Uganda’s music industry.
He urged fellow creatives to look beyond individual interests and contribute to the growth of the wider industry.
“It’s high time we embrace the industry and think for it about its future and beyond,” he said.
Daxx’s comments come amid ongoing conversations among Ugandan creatives about professionalism, live performance, music education and the structures needed to develop the country’s entertainment industry.
For Daxx, however, the starting point is understanding the difference between simply performing music and being a musician in the traditional sense.