We know you as An-Known Prosper, but what is your real name?
I do it intentionally never to mention my real name and it is very difficult for you to find it anywhere. That is why I call myself An-Known [yes, he strangely spells it that way] as like, being not known; I didn’t want people to know me too much besides my music.
At first, I used to not even post my pictures online but it became difficult because people needed to recognise me; so, I just decided to hide personal details about me. But I know with time, people will find out the real name.
What inspired all this anonymity?
There is an Australian pop star called Sia. She has an amazing voice, but she never used to show her face, something I liked about her. I also thought about doing my music that way. I decided to call myself “Unknown” but to make it more unique I replaced the “Un” with “An” to make it “An-Known”.
When and where were you born?
I was born in November 1998 in Luweero district, but we moved when I was very young and relocated to Seguku. I am the second born of four children; two boys and two girls.
Which schools did you attend?
I went to St Peter’s primary school, Seguku and Kyamulibwa SS in Masaka up to Senior Four. That is where I stopped my education, because my parents did not have school fees.
But while in primary school, I used to like rap music a lot, especially Eminem songs. When I joined secondary school, I joined music, dance and drama and we would sing a lot of RnB songs; that is where I found out that my voice could sing the genre.
By the time I left school, I already knew that music was what I wanted to do because I could sing and write songs. Professionally, I started in 2019 with a song called Doctor, but when Covid-19 came, things came to a standstill a little bit.
What did you want to be, growing up?
I know when we are all growing up, we look at careers like doctors, lawyers or other big professions. We never look at these entertainment jobs. But as you grow, you find where your strength lies.
When I first joined secondary school, I looked more at drawing; I was very good at fine art but around senior three I channelled my mind to music and by the time I finished senior four, I already knew that I wanted to be a singer.
Was your family supportive?
My father and elder siblings were fine with it, but other family members were not. They wanted me to go to Dubai and work.
How have you found the journey so far?
I wouldn’t say it has been so difficult for me, because honestly I have not struggled so much to break through because that is usually the most difficult stage for artistes. Maybe where I found difficulty was in promoting my music and making videos for the songs, because they need a lot of money.
Do you have a management team then?
I have my cousin brother, a producer and a friend who are helping me out, but with time, we shall make it official.
What inspires your music?
The songs I have released so far all rotate around the same personal experience. I sang Doctor for my then girlfriend and it actually managed to save the relationship for like two weeks and then again things went bad, and that is when I wrote Tonelabira.
For Radio Call.9, it is just a song I wrote during the lockdown as a result of people being distant and the only way to communicate was through the phone.
Tonelabira video features Bad Black; why her?
We just wanted someone unique. But it was the director of the video who chose her, and we all agreed that she would be the right person for the video because she fitted well in what the song was talking about, considering that she is someone who has been in and out of relationships. Another thing is we needed a common figure [for the song to trend].
How was it like working with her?
I was already her fan; so, I was working with someone I liked. Everything she did was just making me happy. As you know, she is crazy in one way or the other, but also funny. It was a nice experience, actually.
How many times have you been heartbroken?
Only once and it is the one that inspired most of the songs I have made so far. [Eh! By your third heartbreak you’ll have several albums then!] They highlight how deeply hurt I was, how I begged her to stay with me and finally letting her go.
Where do you stand in love right now?
I am not dating; this job does not allow me to [laughs shyly]. But honestly, I would like to also have a woman and we post each other all over social media and enjoy life but I cannot because I love my job so much.
What is the craziest thing you have done for love?
I think I did everything I could. But at one time I wanted to convert to Islam because she was a Muslim. But I don’t regret anything I did during that time; I did them out of love even though it did not go well.
Which musicians do you look up to?
Locally, it is A Pass, Ykee Benda, Irene Ntale and Maurice Kirya; internationally, it is Eminem and Sia.
Have you been compared to any other musicians?
Yeah, I have been compared to Liam Voice, Dre Cali, Victor Ruz [and] Zuli Tums. We all move along the same line because we kind of sing the same genre.
I actually have no problem with it. There is always going to be competition but as long as it is healthy, there is no problem.
Do you have some celebrity friends in the industry?
I really don’t know whether they are my friends, but I chat with A Pass, Ykee Benda, Dre Cali, Victor Ruz, Sama Sojah. But Rickman Manrick and Liam Voice are my good friends.
You are among those talents who have broken through during the Covid-19 period…
It has been a good thing to break out during this period because it has given people enough time to listen to and appreciate my music. However, it is somehow starting to affect me now because we are putting a lot of money into making the music and yet we are not getting the returns as it should be because we are not fully operating.
What are some of your hobbies?
I love drawing and I would actually love to improve on my fine art talent. I also like watching movies.
Anything new you are working on before the year ends?
There are some collaborations I am working on, which I expect to release before the year ends or early next year. I am not going to mention them now because I want them to be a surprise. I am also working on music which is not related to love, because most people now assume I can only sing about love.
Where do you see your career in the next five years?
I want to earn from my music. I have [known] so many artistes who made big hits but after some time you find them broke. I also want to bring about a good working relationship among artistes, media and DJs. I am new in this industry but I can tell that there are already people fighting me behind closed doors.
How?
I know places where they do not play my songs because someone told them not to. I have also missed out on gigs because someone bad-mouthed me.
For instance, there is someone who wanted to book me for a show in Canada but the person they approached to get to me instead bad-mouthed me and tried to convince them to book a different artiste. Thankfully, the promoter got to me directly and I was able to get the deal.
jjingoernest1@gmail.com
