Singer Alexander Bagonza aka A Pass has officially released a 40-track music album named BAGONZA. The album listening party was held at The Villa Bar and Restaurant in Bukoto, Kampala on Tuesday, January 30, 2024.

A Pass claimed that no one has ever produced a music album with 40 songs on it. “Where was it written that an artiste must release an album of only 12 songs? This is a 40-track music album. I did it intentionally to show people that I joined the music industry to break records,” he said during a local television interview on Monday January 29, 2024.

The singer said most people think he is not a serious artiste because he prefers to release audio albums and doesn’t like performing at local concerts. “I prefer to release albums because I am looking at the future, where music will only be for streaming purposes. I am not looking at short-term gain of performing in Kampala bars cheaply like other artistes do,” he said.

A Pass said releasing music on international streaming platforms will pay him much more money in the long run and will earn him money even when he is not on a stage.

“When I stream my songs on Spotify or Apple Music, I may get an opportunity of a movie producer picking my songs to feature on their movie projects and this may end in paying me large sums of money in the long run,” he stated.

A Pass defended his style of work, saying he will continue releasing music albums as opposed to doing bubble gum music for making money at local music concerts. “I do albums because I am a songwriter who has many songs. I write songs almost on a daily basis and producers from various parts of Uganda send me tracks to use on my songs,” he said.

A Pass promised to pay royalties to all producers that contributed to the making of the album and urged Ugandan producers to stop charging expensive recording fees. “Why should a music producer charge me sh500,000 or sh1m to record just one song. Let them just contribute to the making of my albums and I will pay them royalties when the songs begin making money,” A Pass added.

He last released a music album on April 27, 2018 which he named the African Yayo.

Alfred Byenkya Jounalist at New Vision“

Queen of Katwe is a biographical sports drama film about a Ugandan girl who sees her world change rapidly after being introduced to the game of chess. This is not so different from my story. I spent most of my childhood living in the ghettos of Kisenyi. Growing up in the ghetto is not as easy as hip-hop artists say in their songs. Life is hard out there and I feel like this movie speaks volumes about the rise of a young, talented and ambitious girl from the slums and therefore sparks excitement in me that mirrors my similar experience coming up from a small boy in the ghettos of Kisenyi to the successful artiste I am now.

Seeing myself featured in a big movie project like Queen of Katwe makes me feel proud of not only myself but my family, friends, and everyone who supported me from day 1. It strengthens my belief that anyone who works hard and is patient can make it in life no matter where you come from so having not only one or two but four of my songs featuring in the movie was a dream come true. Being part of a ghetto story is a blessing to me and this shows that ghetto people can also make it in life and can have lots of opportunities just like the uptown people.

Four of A Pass’ songs featured in the movie with Kyempulila, Wuuyo, and Tulikubigere featured on the official movie soundtrack album and Bakwagala Olina featuring in the movie. Other artistes featured on the soundtrack album include Saava Karim, Afrigo Band, Eddy Kenzo, Bobi Wine, Radio & Weasel, and Chameleone. The world premiere was at the Toronto International Film Festival in the Roy Thompson Hall on Saturday 10th September and it is expected to start showing in Ugandan cinemas on the Independence weekend starting 7th October

The Concept
Mariana is a song about a lady who is HIV Positive and she is doing lots of stuff like drinking and smoking due to the depression that comes with the virus and also because she thinks this will help her ease the pain. We are trying to show people the other side of life and let them know that this never solves anything and but only makes things worse. The song also bridges the gap between the old and the young with the old school Kadongo kamu taste to it which fits the old people. On the other hand, the dancehall vibe in the verses makes the connection between the two worlds.

The Audio
We also have Nessim Pan Production who was the audio engineer who made the beat and mixed the song. The song was mastered in USA by Chemist who is also the main producer for Nyanda. He also mastered the whole Nva Kampala album. This song is not the usual ordinary music you listen to. It has a story behind it and is studded with talent right from the composition to the team of talented individuals who put a lot of effort into making it the song it is now. A Pass who sang the song, composed the melodies, wrote it down, and produced it.

The Video
Video was shot by 3 Ugandan video directors namely Lukyamuzi Bashir, Alex Ireeta and …… There was so much manpower and we had a lot of hardworking and talented people on set that helped make the video successful. Micheal Ouma and Joseph Sax both featured in the video playing the guitar and saxophone respectively. Kelley, the main actress and vixen in the video is a model and actress and she plays the character Mariana. I can’t wait to see the full package of the video and can’t wait to see what will come of this. This in my anticipation is going to be one of the best videos to come out of the pearl, Uganda.

The Outcome
In my experience of doing music, Mariana is one of the songs I personally respect because I put in a lot of art in this one piece. The credit is not fully mine as God has blessed me with the talent to create music that makes sense. Music that not only leaves someone singing along but sparks nostalgia in the old, relates to the young and appeals to a large audience and that is my goal. That’s exactly what am picturing to give to people in this and many more of my musical projects and that is my vision of Mariana. I want all my fans out there to experience Mariana in surround sound audio and high-definition video.

#KLALoveLiveMusic is soooo massive. @IamApass conquering stage. We are so proud to have sponsored this event  pic.twitter.com/lhYfGlEdIi

— #KLALoveLiveMusic (@PremiereHotelUG)

The Nva Kampala London Show at the Royal Regency Hall in London was sold out
On 30Th April Thanks to the fans