Quick Talk caught up with him for a chat about music, love and Valentine. [Quick Talk finds Victor Ruz amidst rehearsals for the show at VTM studios in Lugala, a Kampala suburb. After nearly an hour’s wait, he takes a break and we step out to chat.]
I know Victor is your real name, but what does Ruz mean?
My mum is called Namuganza Ruth and I always wanted to use a part of her name as my stage name. But since I am a man, I couldn’t call myself Ruth; so, I changed the Ruth to Ruz and that is how I came up with Victor Ruz.
When did you start doing music?
I started in 2019 during my senior six vacation. I was only 18 by the time. I released my first hit song Love Legend in July 2019. Because I was still young, my family didn’t like the idea of me getting into music and they tried to talk me out of it but I had to choose between what I wanted and what they wanted. I took the risk and followed what I wanted and right now I am very proud that they are my number-one fans.
What inspires you to write a song?
I write my music basing on live events in society, from situations of people around me or even just from imaginations. I can imagine a scenario happening to me or someone else and I write about it. Sometimes I even write out of personal experiences.
Do you write for other artistes?
Not really. And it is because I don’t want to give someone my work and they reject it. I believe in my art so much, and it can demoralise me if I write a song for someone and they feel it won’t work for them. I have ever tried to give out songs to some artistes and I ended up getting disappointed because some could not sing them well; so, I stopped writing for others.
You also don’t have many collaborations, why?
I am a perfectionist, and some artistes don’t want to do perfect things because they are doing music just for fun and money, and not because of passion. I want to make long-lasting music which even the coming generation will listen to and appreciate.
I actually have some musicians I have done collaborations with, but refused to release the songs afterwards because they didn’t come out as nice as I had hoped. They are actually over 10 songs but I plan to meet up with some of those artistes again and see whether we can make the songs better.
But are there some artistes you would wish to collaborate with?
[Instantly:] Winnie Nwagi, Jose Chameleone, Juliana Kanyomozi, Jamal and Aziz Azion. Chameleone is an inspiration to me because he has timeless music which has stood the test of time.
Is Kats Music (MC Kats record label) your management?
Kats Music partners with Retro Records which is my own label and we work together to keep the brand Victor Ruz moving. MC Kats is one of the organisers of my Valentine’s day show.
How did you meet him?
MC Kats and I met in 2019 after I had just released Love Legend. He heard the song, loved it and looked for me. He put me out there, and people paid attention to my music.
Kats wants things done quickly; when he gets an idea, he wants it to be done there and then. Yet I, on the other side, I am a perfectionist and usually want to take my time to do things, especially when it comes to music. He would call me to go to studio today to record a song and he wants it released the next day yet for me after recording, I want to take time to listen to the song to make sure it is of the quality I want it to be before releasing it.
So, it is one of the challenges I faced with him in the beginning, but as time went on, he understood the way I want my things done and that is why we are still working together.
What course are you studying at university?
I am pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and Social Administration. I am in my second year at Victoria University.
How do you balance music and books?
That is why last year I was a bit absent musically, because I first wanted to focus on my studies and set up some other business besides music. I couldn’t handle all that at the same time; so, I had to step back from music a bit so that I gain a firm foundation for my studies and business. It is still hectic, but I am managing.
Do you hope to practice what you are studying at any point?
I just like learning because it is through it that I even get experiences I can portray in my songs. In fact if I finish the Social Work degree, I will enroll for another course.
This Valentine’s day show…..
Love Legends Valentine is going to be my annual Valentine’s day show. Ever since I got into music, Valentine’s has always been my worst day. The first one in 2020, I had a lot of bookings but shows were stopped due to Covid-19 and in 2021, we had not been opened to perform.
In 2022, I got 15 bookings to perform at on Valentine’s day. But these were too many; so, we rejected eight and remained with seven. However, after the last show, my team and I were hijacked by goons who stole all the money we had collected from the seven shows.
Last year, we decided to decrease on the number of shows; so, I accepted bookings for only three shows in Kampala, Jinja and Tororo. I started from Kampala at around 8pm. However, I reached late in Tororo and Jinja and the promoters didn’t give me the rest of my money.
I had actually told my team that I didn’t want to do any Valentine’s shows again but after sometime, I realized that there is no other musician who has their own Valentine’s show. That is when I decided to organize my own.
What should the fans expect?
My fans and all the lovers out there should expect to witness the best lovey dovey show ever in Uganda. It is not a concert but just an intimate night hosted my me, and it is going to be held every year with new interesting additions every year.
Who is your valentine?
Lynette is going to be my valentine. I asked her in public and she accepted. [Lynette is a presenter on Urban TV. During a press conference for the show last week, Victor Ruz proposed to her to be his Valentine].
Was that proposal for real or a publicity stunt?
It wasn’t a stunt; she is my girl. You wait and see if she is not going to be with me on Valentine’s day.
Apart from bringing her to the show, is there anything special you are going to do for her?
Eehh! Oba what else should I do for her; I hadn’t thought about it. But I am going to show her love.
Who is your ideal woman?
A lady who doesn’t stress me. As long as she doesn’t stress me, the rest I don’t want to know. Ladies can distract and piss you off yet I love my peace so much. So, if I get a lady who gives me peace and understands what I want and don’t want, I am good to go.
Have you ever been heartbroken?
Yes. I even wrote songs about it but I have never released them. I think I should release them soon for my fans to finally listen to them.
If you weren’t a musician……..
I would be a fashion designer. Growing up, my mother was so much into fashion and trends and I think I would have followed that path.
What do you do in your free time?
I read books and I love watching romantic movies. Sometimes they even act as inspiration to write some music.
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