Bebe Cool to Bien: Global reach isn’t the only measure of a music industry – Sqoop

Ugandan superstar Bebe Cool has pushed back against Kenyan singer Bien-Aimé Baraza’s observations about Uganda’s music industry, arguing that international visibility should not be mistaken for economic success.

Bien recently noted that Uganda has developed a music model in which a strong hit can keep an artist busy with performances across the country for years. While he appeared to acknowledge the model as commercially effective, his comments sparked a wider conversation about whether Uganda’s industry has done enough to export its music beyond its borders.

Bebe Cool, however, sees the equation differently. The Gagamel Entertainment boss argues that Ugandan artists have barely scratched the surface of the money available in their own market and therefore have little reason to treat crossing the border as the ultimate measure of progress.

“In Uganda, there’s still a lot of space and money for artists to make before they even think about leaving the border. They can become billionaires without performing anywhere else.” He said during an X Space called ‘Creative industries as a catalyst for Uganda’s economic development.

For Bebe Cool, the real question is not how many countries an artist has performed in, but what that artist has been able to build from music.

He points to Ugandan musicians who have used earnings from the local entertainment circuit to invest in property, businesses, farms and other ventures, arguing that such investments offer a more tangible measure of success than international headlines or regional popularity.

The veteran musician also challenged the assumption that music industries must become globally dominant to be considered successful. He cited large domestic markets such as China and India, where artists can build substantial careers without constantly relying on international audiences.

“The financial status of artists is determined by the strength of their music in their own country, not necessarily by how far it travels around the world.”

That argument puts Bebe Cool at odds with a growing school of thought in East African music that sees regional and international expansion as the next frontier for artists.

Uganda has produced musicians with strong regional followings, but the country’s music industry remains heavily dependent on its domestic audience. For Bebe Cool, however, that is not necessarily a weakness. He believes the size and spending power of Uganda’s entertainment market already give local musicians a powerful foundation.

He went further, questioning whether Kenya’s music industry has necessarily done enough to establish itself beyond its borders to justify comparisons with Uganda.

Bebe Cool challenged Bien to demonstrate how far Kenyan music has progressed compared with Uganda, arguing that Kenyan music has also struggled to make a sustained impact beyond East Africa.