KAMPALA — Ugandan singer Veronica Nakiyingi, popularly known as Vinka, answered months of anticipation and criticism with a high-energy performance at Lugogo Cricket Oval on Friday night, as she finally staged her long-awaited maiden solo concert.
Dubbed Vinka Live & Loud, the concert marked a major milestone for the Swangz Avenue artiste, who has spent nearly a decade building a catalogue of popular songs after first working behind the scenes as a dancer and talent manager.
Early reports indicate that the show drew a large crowd, with Pulse Uganda describing the Cricket Oval as sold out despite calls for a boycott and political criticism that had surrounded the event in the days leading up to it.
The concert was organised by Swangz Avenue and backed by Uganda Waragi and Bell Lager.
Vinka’s performance was characterised by energetic choreography, live entertainment and a celebration of songs that have defined her career, including “Malaika,” “Chips Na Ketchup,” “Bailando,” “All Over You,” “Love Panic” and “Tubikole.” Her catalogue has grown to more than 50 songs over the course of her career.
The concert had been positioned as a celebration of Vinka’s journey from dancer and talent manager to one of Uganda’s most recognisable female artistes.
At a press conference ahead of the show, Swangz Avenue CEO Julius Kyazze described the concert as a celebration of that transformation, saying it would bring together Vinka’s journey and musical catalogue in a major live production.
Vinka, meanwhile, described the concert as a tribute to the fans who had supported her from the beginning. “This concert is a tribute to everyone who has danced, sung and stood by my side since day one.”
The concert came amid an unusually political build-up.
In the days before the show, debate around Vinka’s personal and family associations spilled into the concert campaign, prompting the singer and Swangz Avenue to respond publicly. The label called for politics to be separated from music, while Vinka said she was simply a supportive wife.
The controversy generated calls on social media for some fans to stay away from the concert. But footage and reports from the venue suggested that the campaign did not prevent substantial numbers of fans from turning up.
A concert with an environmental message
The show also carried an environmental component.
Swangz Avenue announced a partnership with We4All as the official climate partner for Vinka Live & Loud, with the concert promoted as a climate-conscious event.
According to the organisers’ announcement supplied for the concert, the partnership involved investment in a climate-solution project involving more than 20,000 trees, intended to address emissions associated with the event.
The move places the concert within a growing global conversation about the environmental cost of large entertainment events — from electricity and transport to waste and temporary infrastructure.
From waiting to headline
Vinka’s first solo concert had been anticipated for years.
She officially confirmed the August 21 date in May, after years of postponements that had prompted questions from fans about when she would finally headline her own major concert.
The choice of Lugogo Cricket Oval was itself significant. The venue has become one of Kampala’s major stages for large music events, capable of testing an artiste’s drawing power beyond clubs, festivals and shared concert line-ups.
The show was scheduled to open its gates at about 3pm, with the main programme running into the night. Event listings placed the concert at the Cricket Oval and listed tickets from Shs30,000.
Vinka’s breakthrough has been unusual in Uganda’s music industry because she entered the business from behind the stage before becoming the performer.
She worked at Swangz Avenue as a talent manager and dancer before establishing herself as a recording artiste. Over the years, songs such as “Malaika,” “Chips Na Ketchup,” “Love Panic,” “Bailando,” “All Over You” and “Tubikole” helped establish her as a major name in Uganda’s popular music scene.
Her debut concert therefore represented more than another entry on Kampala’s increasingly crowded entertainment calendar.
It was a delayed arrival.
And perhaps that is why the night carried a particular significance for Vinka and her supporters: after years of being part of other people’s shows, she finally had a stage that was entirely hers.