Know your celeb: Meet Iryn Namubiru

Born and raised in Mityana on December 13, 1981, the songstress went to different schools in primary, and for secondary school -- she went to Mityana S.S. Namukozi, Bugema Adventist SS., Mengo S.S. (for one month ) and Namasagali College.

Namubiru, who nurtured her singing skills from school and church choirs, would in S.4 vacation meet Ragga Dee who was a neighbour in Makindye and he introduced her to professional music.

He introduced her to a studio where she met professional artistes like Menton Summer, Messe, Emperor Orlando and Jenkins Mukasa.

Ragga Dee would pick her up from home and they would go to perform at events.

A year into S.6 vacation, she met Frank Morel, who was deputy director of Alliance Francaise, with whom they now share two sons.

Namubiru didn't immediately join tertiary education after S.6 because of financial challenges, and she spent part of this period singing and that's how she met Morel. Frank Morel, who worked with the French Embassy in Kampala, also owned a band and she started singing in it.

Morel would become the manager of Namubiru and Juliana Kanyomozi when they teamed up to form I-Jay in which they released an album of six songs titled Wait.

It was recorded from Baava Studios, owned by Hope Mukasa, by a producer named Daudi Kitasimbwa. Namubiru had been singing with Kanyomozi at Sabrina's Pub and she suggested that they do an album together since she was leaving for France.

Iryn Namubiru left Uganda with Frank Morel after completing a diploma at Airways Tourism & Hotel Institute in Nsambya. In France, she pursued French studies at Stendhal University.