A few days ago, singer Gerald Muwonge famously known as Clever J held a successful music concert which marked his rebirth in the music industry.
Clever J has been struggling musically for more than a decade.
However, after much anticipation, preparation and intense advertising, the Manzi Wanani singer stepped on the stage again ‘ He was barefooted in a dirty black short and a sleeveless white t-shirt with a white helmet on his head and a bricklaying box in his hand’ a style that physically described a true velour/ warrior who forgets not his humble story.
To those who remember him in 2000s, Clever J was once one of Uganda’s most promising talents in Uganda’s music industry. However, within a short three or five years, Clever J disappeared and even his songs disappeared from Uganda’s radio waves.
One would say, that Clever J a once people’s darling became rejected, his music was dejected from the industry and even the music industry dumped him, the world forgot him, he became dead in the eyes of Ugandans and he was totally forgotten.
It was then in 2020, that Clever J was seen on social media laying bricks, feeding on jack fruit as food for survival. Kudos to Cindy Sanyu who called him to perform at her Boom Party concert however still things did work well due to the pandemic.
Not until this year, when one Mulwana Patrick commonly known as Alien Skin signed him in his crew Fangoni Forest, after performing at his Sitya danger concert. This was his new beginning, Clever J is a perfect and well-talented musician and on Friday he showed the country that he never lost hope despite a series of adversities he has encountered in life.
Meanwhile, here are a few lessons we learn from Clever J, for standing up to face challenges in his career or life journey;
Resilience and Perseverance; Faded as he was or he is, Clever J managed to rise again and demonstrated the ability to bounce back from setbacks. He showed that he kept pushing forward despite failures, and he never gave up on his passion.
Adaptability: We all know the limelight Clever J enjoyed in the 2000s, but he has experienced a fall from grace and managed to rise again. He has likely learned and accepted that he is no longer big, he has adopted a new lifestyle fit for his level.
Continuous Learning: The experience of fading and making a comeback often highlights the value of continuous learning and personal growth. We all know now that Clever J has taken the time to refine his skills since he stepped on the stage with some new songs.
Humility: Success can sometimes lead to ego and arrogance, and I’m very sure those who saw Clever J of the 2000s can attest to his arrogance. But life has mercilessly taught him and has learnt the importance of humility.
Having a Strong Support System: Clever J’s coming back from a setback involved a lot of elements such as the support of friends, family, mentors/ promotors and fans. So having a strong support system motivated him and I believe this is where he got his courage to stand again.
Passion and love for the craft: For any musician, passion for music is the driving force behind his/her revival. In Clever J’s case, he rediscovered his love for creating music and embraced the process without being solely focused on fame or external validation. Because he had created some new songs, it gave promoters the vigour to organise his concert.
Courage to take risks: This was a strong lesson to all of us, there were many possibilities for his concert to flop because even though he was famous two of his concerts flopped. But despite all of that, he took an act of strong courage and risked again. Making a comeback as a musician requires taking risks and stepping out of one’s comfort zone.
Appreciating any success however little it could be; After his wonderful performance, Clever J thanked the crowd for coming in big numbers, and thanked them for the love they showed him. And finally thank Alien Skin for lighting his music candle again when nobody could.
Never forget those who stood by your side when no one could; Many wondered why the stage was so crowded, it was kind of confusing and even the bodyguards could not stop them. Well, a big number of them were the only people who stood by him when the hype was over, some of them he laid bricks with them, and they shared jackfruit, sugar cane, posh and beans even slept together. They were so happy to join the stage when their won was performing again for Ugandans.
Meanwhile, Clever J’s story shows us that even in the face of adversity, we must not lose hope. It’s also a reminder that setbacks are a natural part of any journey, and success can be achieved by learning from failures and never giving up on one’s dreams.
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