Tracing: Eight years ago, Fun Factory actor cum musician Allan Tumusiime, alias Allan Scoop, chose a new path as he sought greener pastures in the US. Now Isaac Ssejjombwe caught up with him to find out what he has been up to. 1.What has Allan UGNEWS24 been upto?
I am working on three different EPs which I hope to release in seven months and each will probably have four to five songs. I have had some offers from different artistes in America who want to work with me and not people with established names but people who have had a following. They have listened to my music and feel they want to have a different sound on their albums. I am also working on a new album and trying to build a studio and get Scoop Entertainment officially registered in the US.2.What has the transition been like from acting to music?
The transition from acting to music or TV hosting to music has really been a long journey. You know you have to learn the music industry and learn how to make money out of the industry whether you are making hits or not. You have to learn how to furnace the industry to be able to squeeze money out of it. The transition has not been easy but has been a learning, interesting and nice journey. The market is bigger and wider and the fact that you are doing a style that is just being introduced in the Diaspora is not easy. You have to find your market and audience. I had to look for African clubs and DJs, it is a hustle but if you enjoy what you do, it is fun.3.Paint us a picture of what it is like for a Ugandan artiste in the Diaspora.
The transition from Uganda to the US has been the same as others. You start all over if you come from a different country, it is like being reborn, you get to learn things all over, you get to make new friends, and sometimes you do not have to but just stick to the old ones. All in all, you have to find ways to survive and do things and know why you moved in the first place. It is never a smooth transition but it is really about what you learn through the transition. Of course moving to a new place always comes with cultural shock, so having to adjust to a new culture is the hardest part.4. Is music all you survive on?
Yes. This year has not been good for many people but it has been very good for me. I managed to land a deal where I submitted four songs to one of the TV shows, P-Valley, which is one of the popular shows in the US. The deal was with Lionsgate and it was to write and voice music for the show. I happened to be part of the writer’s camp that was dealing with the music and I made some really good money, which is helping me get through the year.
Before that, I went to school to learn photography and film editing while working jobs here and there but the ultimate goal was to employ myself and work from home, have my own schedule so I can travel freely between the US and Uganda, and any other place in the world whenever I want.5.You seem to invest heavily in your music going by the quality of your videos. Have you started getting money back?
I did not invest in music before making money for music. Music is like a business. If you start making profits, you invest more into the business to expect bigger profits and I did not join the industry because I was dying to make money out of music. It was because it is something I have always loved. So I am happy with what I am doing. And I concentrate more on doing music than how much money it is going to make me.