Maureeen Nantume

Maureen Nantume is a beautiful and talented singer who is part of the popular Golden Band. The Golden Band is a breakaway group from the Eagles Production. Her song Sili ndogoyi, which was about how women have too much work, was a hit with a huge number of people and made her an Afro-pop music star.

Nantume has been a star for more than a decade, but she still keeps her head down. Robinah Nakitende, Nantume's mother, sold onions. She had a hard time making money to raise Nantume and her two siblings. When her mother died in 1996, things got even worse.

"When my mother died, I lost all hope that things would get better. It meant I couldn't go to school, and the worst part was that I had to look for a place to live. At this point, I had to look for a job that would pay me and give me a place to live," Nantume says.

After having trouble paying for school for a while, the future star dropped out of school in 2002. He was at Agro-Links in Namasuba at the time.

"After my mother died, some of her relatives agreed to give my siblings to their families. Unfortunately, no one knew who my father was, so I was left alone with no choice," Nantume says.

Soon after the funeral, she got a job as a housekeeper in Namasuba, where she worked for three years and made Shs15,000 per month. Even though Nantume was having a hard time, she never gave up on her dream of becoming a famous singer.

Nantume the "mukomba bookisi"

Housekeepers usually have to deal with hard things, but Nantume only has good things to say about her former boss. She thinks that working for that family was part of her destiny because it was her boss who told her to try out for the band, which led to her career. She also thinks that being a housemaid is a good job if you are treated well and paid well, and that it can lead to a good future.

"My enemies sometimes use my past against me by calling me the insulting name given to housemaids, mukomba bookisi (dish licker)," Nantume says. "They don't know that it was my job as a housemaid that put me on the path to fame."

Nantume says that even though her classmates made fun of her for being a maid, it didn't bother her because she had bigger problems to worry about.

"My boss used to be my friend, and she still is. She liked me so much because I worked really hard. She was like a mother to me because I liked her so much. She let me do my chores while listening to music on the radio through headphones. I liked singing along to every song, and she never seemed to mind," Nantume says.

Getting to Know Eagle's Band

One day, her boss, who had been to a party at Mengo palace called "Enkuuka yo'mwaaka" at the end of the year, came home and told her about a chance to sing with the Eagles Production band, which was holding auditions for new singers.

Nantume says, "My boss told me I had a good voice and that I should go to the auditions, so I did."

More than 100 hopeful singers came to the auditions. She remembers being scared of people who already looked like stars and moved with a grace that was hard to match.

"Compared to them, I looked and felt like the housekeeper I was. But I was happy when the judges told me to sing "Big Daddy" by Betty Mpologoma, which is one of my favorite songs. I had sung it so many times at work that I was used to it," says Nantume.

The group was told to go home after the auditions and listen to CBS Radio to find out who got the job.

"I can't tell you how happy I was to hear that my name was one of the five chosen. It was one of my favorite days ever. The singer says, "I felt so lucky."

It was official: Nantume was a member of the Eagles' Production Band, where she sang backup for every senior band member who wanted to work with her, including Mesarch Ssemakula, Ronald Mayinja, Catherine Kusasira, Stecia Mayanja, Fred Maiso, Geofrey Lutaaya, Sophie Nantongo, and Irene Namatovu, among others.

"At this time, I had to leave Namasuba, where I was working at the time, because we worked long hours and traveled far. We rented a room together with two other girls who had just joined the band. We lived there from 2003 to 2005," she says.

Even though her career had improved, Nantume's financial situation had not changed. Every time she sang as a backup singer, she was paid Shs5,000. On her small salary, she had to pay rent, buy food and clothes, and get herself to work.

Things got worse in my life. It was hard to make a living on that pay. But I didn't feel bad about it for a second. I wasn't the only one; everyone around me was a backup singer with the same job. This made me feel better. But the most important thing was that I knew my luck would change soon," she says with a smile.

After three years with Eagles Production, they wrote her a song called "Sili Ndogoyi." This was the song that got her started as a solo artist.

The big pay day

"In 2006, I got a gig to perform at the Nabweru football pitch and made Shs80,000. It was too much money, and I couldn't believe it was mine. I had never made that much money at once before. Nantume says, "I've made more money since then, but that payment will always be the most exciting to me."

The next year, Nantume put out three songs: Abakozi Ba Safari, Oyitiriza Okungeyengula, and Nkwagala nyo. These songs were played a lot on local radio stations, especially Abakozi Ba Safari. The songs helped her get her first gig in Kwanjula, which paid her Shs400,000.

zNantume's life was finally getting better. She quickly figured out that people liked her music at Kwanjula events, so she focused on doing that.

In 2012, she put out a song called "Kiyungu," which got her more gigs. In one day, she played at about two introductions and two weddings.

"Kiyungu helped me become known as an artist, and when I started making good money, I started investing with the help of Ssemakula, who always told me what to do with my money," Nantume says.