Rema Namakula has offered a candid explanation for why some Ugandan musicians who perform in English may struggle to connect with audiences outside the country.
According to the Ugandan songbird, pronunciation and articulation can play a significant role in determining how easily English-language music travels across international markets.
Rema says artists who have travelled widely and interacted with people from different countries may develop a better understanding of the type of English delivery that is easily understood across borders.
At the same time, she does not believe Ugandan musicians should abandon their identity in an attempt to sound foreign. For Rema, the challenge is finding a balance between being understood internationally and remaining authentic.
Her comments also came with a specific example: fellow Ugandan singer Joshua Baraka.
Rema Namakula believes the way Ugandan artists pronounce and articulate English can sometimes make it harder for their music to appeal to listeners in other countries.
Speaking about the challenge facing Ugandan musicians hoping to break into international markets, Rema pointed to differences in English pronunciation and delivery.
She explained that exposure to different countries and cultures can help artists understand how English is spoken by people from various backgrounds.
“If you’re learned or travelled across different nations to get to know how people speak English, that English can be understood by other people.”
For Rema, that kind of exposure can make a difference when an artist is attempting to communicate with listeners beyond Uganda.
She added that singing in a distinctly Ugandan English accent can sometimes create a barrier with audiences who are unfamiliar with it.
“When we speak or sing in our own English accent, it doesn’t appeal so much to people outside.”
Her argument, however, is not that Ugandan musicians should simply copy foreign singers.
Rema specifically cautioned against forcing an international accent because she believes doing so can make an artist appear inauthentic.
“When we try to sound like the English, we seem like the wannabes.”
Instead, she encouraged musicians to embrace what makes their sound different while allowing international opportunities to develop naturally.
“So I think we should appreciate what we have. We do something we have, and when God blesses you to cross over, it’s all good, well and beautiful.”
Rema then pointed to Joshua Baraka as an example of a Ugandan artist whose approach to pronunciation and articulation has helped his music travel beyond the country’s borders.
“The way he sings, he has some particular pronunciations and articulations which make it easy for him to cut across,” she said.
Her example places the focus not simply on whether an artist sings in English, but on how that English is delivered.
That distinction is important because Rema’s comments do not suggest that speaking or singing with a Ugandan accent automatically prevents international success. Rather, she is highlighting how pronunciation can affect accessibility for listeners who may not be familiar with a particular accent.
And that leaves Ugandan artists facing a familiar creative balancing act: making music that can travel while ensuring it still sounds like them.
English-language music has the potential to reach audiences across multiple countries because English is widely used in international entertainment and popular culture.
For Ugandan musicians, however, simply choosing English as a songwriting language does not automatically guarantee international reach.
Rema’s comments focus on the communication side of that equation. Her view is that artists who have experienced different cultures and interacted with people from different countries may gain greater awareness of how their English is heard by international audiences.
She also draws a clear line between accessibility and imitation.
Her warning against trying to sound foreign suggests that international ambition should not require Ugandan musicians to erase the characteristics that make their music distinctive.
That is why her reference to Joshua Baraka is particularly relevant to her argument. Rather than presenting foreign imitation as the solution, Rema highlighted an artist whose particular pronunciation and articulation, in her view, have helped his music connect beyond Uganda.
Rema’s comments touch on a broader question facing African musicians chasing audiences beyond their home markets: How much should an artist adapt for an international audience?
Making music accessible to listeners from different countries can involve choices around language, pronunciation, production and delivery. But excessive adaptation can also raise questions about authenticity.
Rema’s position is relatively straightforward. Artists should understand how their music is being received outside Uganda, but they should not become “wannabes” by forcing themselves to sound like someone else.
Her remarks also put the spotlight on articulation as part of an artist’s international appeal — an aspect that can be overlooked when conversations about global success focus mainly on songs, collaborations and promotion.
For Ugandan musicians, the challenge may therefore be less about becoming foreign and more about making their existing sound easier for unfamiliar listeners to understand.
At the heart of Rema’s argument is a tension many artists can recognize: the desire to reach a bigger audience without losing the qualities that made the music distinctive in the first place.
Her advice does not call for Ugandan musicians to abandon their accents or identities. Instead, she encourages them to appreciate what they already have while developing the awareness needed to communicate across different audiences.
Her message to artists appears to be about confidence as much as strategy: learn, travel, understand different audiences, but do not lose yourself in the process.
Rema Namakula’s comments offer a different perspective on Uganda’s international music ambitions — one that places pronunciation, exposure and authenticity at the center of the conversation.
For artists looking beyond Uganda, the question may not be whether they should sound foreign, but how far their own sound can travel while still remaining unmistakably theirs.