Vinka’s first concert at Lugogo Cricket Oval takes me back to the first time I heard her voice at St Mary’s Kitende in 2018 and became a fan.
There are moments in our lifetimes that become where were you? moments. Where were you when Barack Obama became president? Where were you when Michael Jackson died? Or, if you are a Manchester United fan like me, where were you when Anthony Martial sent Martin Skrtel for a hotdog before scoring in front of the Stretford End on his debut? For me, another one of those moments is much closer to home: where was I when I first heard a Vinka song?
The answer takes me back to 2018, when I was an A-Level student at St Mary’s Kitende. Vipers had won the league, and the students were rewarded with a massive celebration. Fik Fameica was performing, and naturally, the school was buzzing. During his set, he performed Tubikole, his collaboration with Vinka. I did not know the song, and at the time, my music knowledge was honestly wanting. I was mostly a Radio & Weasel and Kanye West guy, while my life as a science student revolved around books and the school library. Yet, somehow, Vinka’s voice stayed with me.
Perhaps that is because I have always loved artists who refuse to sound like everyone else. Vinka’s raspy, deep voice was criticised when she started out, with some people even calling it “manly”. Instead of allowing that criticism to define her, she made the voice part of her identity and eventually turned what people questioned into one of her biggest trademarks. That is what I admire about her. She did not try to fit the traditional idea of what a female singer should sound like. She created her own lane, and then built a career in it. From Malaika and Chips Na Ketchup to Love Panic, she has continued to prove that sometimes the thing people tell you to change is exactly what makes you special.
Now, today, August 21, 2026, Vinka takes the stage at Lugogo Cricket Oval for her first major concert, Vinka Live and Loud. Usually, as a writer at All Events Kampala, I attend concerts because I am working. I wait for the complimentary ticket, go to the venue, cover the event and tell everyone else what happened. But this time, when Vinka tickets went on sale, I bought mine immediately. I had no interest in going as a writer. This one is personal. This is the girl whose voice first caught my attention at Kitende eight years ago finally getting her moment on a stage of her own, and there is no way I was going to experience that from behind a notebook.
And to my relatives, I have one final warning. When Vinka gets to Love Panic tonight and sings, “Panic ng’enkutula! Bwe nkulabako eno evaawa?” I will be singing every single word. Actually, singing is an understatement. I will be embarrassing all of you. After all, I have waited eight years for this moment. Like they say forewarned is forearmed.
