Singer and songwriter Shena Skies has opened up about the frustration of having immense creative ability while feeling that her career has not reached the level she believes her talent deserves.
Shena, who has written several hit songs for some of Uganda’s biggest artists while also pursuing her own music, says her ability to create has become both a blessing and a curse.
For her, the blessing comes from being able to turn ideas in her mind into music that people around the world can enjoy.
But the songwriter says that same talent can become frustrating when the recognition, numbers and visibility do not match what she believes she is capable of achieving.
“It’s both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing to be able to create something from my mind, to think about it and people all over the world enjoy the things that I have come up with, but it’s also a curse.”
Shena illustrated her frustration with a striking football comparison, likening her situation to Lionel Messi playing in Kawempe instead of competing on football’s biggest stages.
“I feel like when you’re this talented, it’s like Messi playing in Kawempe and not where he’s playing right now.”
The songwriter went further, describing herself as an underutilised Messi — someone who believes she has the ability to produce exceptional work but has not yet reached the very top of the industry.
Her frustration, she admits, has sometimes boiled over into anger toward Ugandans whom she feels have not fully appreciated or supported her talent.
Still, Shena says she eventually lets go of that frustration because there is only so much she can do about how people respond to her work.
“You become angry at them and let go because what can you do?”
For Shena, the experience highlights the complicated side of being a creator: having the talent to make music people love does not always guarantee that the same level of recognition will follow for the person behind it.
And that gap between ability and visibility is what she says makes her talent feel like both a blessing and a curse.