Tshila

Tshila was born on 10 June 1983 in Kampala, Uganda. She went to university in Valdosta, Georgia and received a bachelor's degree in Computer Science in May 2005. She began making music in August, 2005, after she met Ugandan hip-hop group, Bataka Squad and was introduced to their rap style that combined rhymes from Luganda, the local language, with Western rhythm. She later branched out as a solo artist, with a different style of music that combined afro-fusion, hip-hop and African traditional rhythms. In July 2006 she played at the Zanzibar International Film Festival where she was first recognized as a contributor to the diversity of Ugandan music abroad. She was also featured in a documentary for Current TV about the struggles that a young African goes through in modern times, called "Raw Truth". In 2007, Tshila was named one of the 20 best unsigned artists in the world by the BBC World Service in their talent search called "The Next Big Thing". In August 2007, she recorded her first album, called Sipping from The Nile, which combined spoken word poetry, African traditional music and hip-hop. It has not yet been officially released, but has received acclaim from music critics in East Africa. She has also been recognized as a spokesperson and contributor to youth movements for social reform in Uganda.