Geoffrey Oryema is a Ugandan musician and singer. This is one of the largest representatives of African culture. Jeffrey's music is endowed with incredible energy. In an interview, Oryema said:
“Music is my biggest passion. I have a great desire to share my creativity with the public. There are many different themes in my tracks, and all of them are in tune with how our world is developing ... "
Childhood and youth
The musician hails from Soroti (western part of Uganda). It so happened that he had no other options than how to develop his creative potential. He was born into a family of musicians, poets and storytellers.
His mother directed the ballet company The Heartbeat of Africa. Geoffrey was lucky enough to travel almost the whole world with the troupe. The head of the family was a politician. Despite the serious position, he spent a lot of time raising his son. He taught him to play the nanga, the local 7-string kora.
By the age of 11, Jeffrey was able to play several musical instruments. At about the same age, he composed his first piece of music. In adolescence, Oryema decided on the profession that he wants to master in the future. In the early 70s, he entered the theater academy in Kampala. The black guy chose the acting department for himself. Then he became the founder of the theater troupe Theater Ltd. Soon Oryema wrote a debut play for the brainchild.
In the work, he skillfully combined African musical traditions and modern theatrical trends. The play was filled with tribal music. Mixing diametrical cultures is Jeffrey's first successful experiment. He marked the beginning of the creative activity of Oryema.
At that time, the political situation in Uganda remained difficult. In 1962 the country gained independence. Jeffrey's situation was further aggravated by the fact that in 1977 his father died in a car accident.
Geoffrey made the decision to leave the country. He moved to France, which became his second home. Oriem made the right choice. Then almost all the elite stars of the music industry recorded in this country.
The creative path of Geoffrey Oryema
In the late 80s, the artistic director of WOMAD invited Geoffrey to take part in one of the concerts of the British band. Then he received an offer from Peter Gabriel. He became part of the Real World label.
In 1990, the black singer's debut LP premiered. The collection was called Exile. The record was produced by Brian Eno. In the same year, a performance took place at a concert in defense of Nelson Mandela at Wembley Stadium. This record spread and brought Geoffrey unheard of popularity.
Interestingly, on stage, he sang songs in the Swahili and Acholi languages. Compositions Land of Anaka and Makambo are still considered to be the hallmarks of Geoffrey Oryema's repertoire.
On the wave of popularity, he presents the Beat the Border LP to fans of his work. Note that the disc entered the top ten tracks on the Billboard World Music Chart.
Popular track Geoffrey Oryema
In the mid-90s, another XNUMX% hit premiered. We are talking about the track Bye Bye Lady Dame. Note that he recorded the composition together with the Frenchman Alain Souchon. The novelty was warmly received by music lovers and authoritative music critics.
One of his tracks Lé Yé Yé becomes the main theme song of the rating show Le Cercle de Minuit. At the same time, he creates musical accompaniment for the film Un Indien Dans La Ville.
Then the start of participation in popular music festivals began. Participation in fests multiply Jeffrey's success, and he pleases his fans with the release of two more records. We are talking about longplays Spirit and Words.
He repeatedly visited the Russian Federation. In 2006, a black musician appeared at the famous Golden Mask theater festival. It became almost the main event of the event. In 2007, Jeffrey became the main headliner at the Sayan Ring international festival. At the same time, he told one of the journalists the following:
“Going beyond my plans is my main goal. Being an artist is my top priority. I explore the world that lies between roots and modern music. I call it the search for musical truth. My truth...
Masters at Work (Piri Wango Iya - Rise Ashen's Morning Come Mix) is the latest collection of remixes that entered the singer's discography. The record of the Ugandan artist was warmly received by his audience.
Details of the artist's personal life
Almost nothing is known about Jeffrey's personal life. He did not like to spread about the family. It is known that the official wife of Oryem was called Regina. The married couple raised three children.
The last years of Geoffrey Oryema's life
In recent years, the artist has taken up the problem of child soldiers. He worked hard to bring peace to Northern Uganda. In 2017, he returned to his native country for a triumphant concert 40 years after his departure.
Geoffrey spoke to government and officials. On the stage of his native city, his work La Lettre sounded, which called on all parties to the conflict to sit down at the negotiating table and find peace.
“My recent homecoming has certainly been full of mixed emotions. Tears, sadness and hatred echoed in my head. Everything is like 40 years ago ... "
On June 22, 2018, he passed away. For several years he battled cancer. Relatives tried to hide the fact of Jeffrey's struggle with oncology, and only after his death did they talk about what Oryema had experienced in the last years of his life.
