Ugandan singer and songwriter Victor Ruz has explained why he deliberately stepped away from the music industry, revealing that a surge of what he calls “bubble gum music” made him choose silence over competition.
Victor Ruz said the decision came roughly two years ago when he felt the music market was becoming dominated by songs he considered short-lived and heavily fueled by social media hype.
Rather than chase the trend, the singer decided to wait it out.
“I took a break from music because the music market was flooded with lots of bubble gum music at that time, like two years ago.”
Victor Ruz described “bubble gum music” as music he believes has limited impact and does not necessarily have a lasting journey beyond its moment of popularity.
According to the singer, the songs were receiving significant attention online, with audiences heavily hyping them on social media. That environment made him feel there was little value in trying to compete for attention with a trend he did not identify with.
His approach was essentially patience: let the wave pass and trust that listeners would eventually reconnect with more established musical styles.
Victor Ruz also acknowledged that artists cannot control what audiences enjoy. He said people have different musical tastes, meaning performers have to accept that certain sounds will become popular even when they personally do not connect with them.
“You can’t stop people from getting excited about anything.”
That realization, however, did not mean he had to follow the crowd.
Victor Ruz said he preferred to step aside rather than reshape his music simply to fit a temporary trend. He suggested that audiences eventually return to familiar sounds and established approaches after the excitement surrounding a new trend fades.
“At the end of the day, you will find them resorting to the old ways of doing things.”
And he clearly wasn’t enjoying the experience.
Describing how much of the trend was circulating at the time, Victor Ruz added:
“That music was a lot and it could make my ears hurt.”
His comments offer a glimpse into why the singer chose a quieter path at a time when social media-driven music trends were dominating attention. Rather than compete on those terms, Victor Ruz waited for the musical landscape to shift.