How Swangz Avenue convinced Irene Ntale to commercialise her talent

Before joining Swangz Avenue, which is owned by Benon Mugumbya and Julius Kyazze, Ntale was doing some singing gigs at The Emin Pasha Hotel And SPA.

She was doing a style of music that Swangz Avenue felt needed some changes in order for her to tap significant value from her career.

In a 2016 interview with Crystal Newman, Ntale was asked if she found what she expected when she joined the record label.

Ntale said: "No, I wasn't expecting that at all. It was totally different from the kind of music I was doing. But they explained to me and told me, you know what, Irene, let's first do some commercial music so you don't just sing for people who are sipping on coffee all the time... and wine... and sometimes they don't even pay attention that you're there.”

Born on January 30, 1989, Irene Ntale joined Swangz Avenue in January 2013.

Ntale, who picked interest in music at about the age of 16 when she was still in high school, went to Martyrs Way Nursery School in Ntinda, Kitante Primary School, Kitante Hill School, Makerere High School, then Kyambogo University where she studied procurement and logistics management.

After university, she was given a job in Mbale district, but she rejected it to focus on her music career.

At 16, Ntale became active in church and picked interest in choir, and also started learning music instruments.

Then she teamed up with some boys at the church to form a band though they only practiced with no commercial pursuits.

Then one of the members died and everyone went solo.

Ntale then started backing up a female singer who was doing world music.

The singer she was backing one day allowed her to do a cover at Emin Pasha Hotel and the manager of the hotel liked her voice and gave her a weekly gig on Wednesday evening.

It's from here that she was scouted by Swangz Avenue. She had been there for a year and Swangz Avenue spotted her at the end of 2012. Irene Ntale left Swangz Avenue in 2017.