Cindy Sanyu says she reached a point in her career where she felt like she was moving alone.
The singer, whose real name is Cinderella Sanyu Muyonjo, was reflecting on some of the challenges she has faced while continuing to push her music career forward.
During a conversation on Tawfiq Media, Cindy said she struggled to find role models who had remained as active and consistent in their careers as she has.
The biggest challenges have been internal, inside of me, because, to tell you the truth, the artist that I am these days has no role models that I look up to.
Her frustration, she explained, came from watching artists she admired slow down at a certain stage and move on to other things.
Cindy said she saw a different pattern among some male artists, pointing to Jose Chameleone and Bebe Cool, who continue to perform, while noting that female artists older than her, including Juliana and Irene, slowed down at a certain point.
Of course, there are amazing artists that we look at every day, but male artists sing even up to 60 without stopping. For example, Jose Chameleone is still doing shows, Bebe Cool is still doing shows. But female artists who are older than us, like Juliana and Irene, slowed down at a certain point.
That left Cindy facing a question she could not easily answer: should she keep going her own way or follow the path she had seen others take?
She says fears about age and changing audience reactions became part of that internal battle.
They slowed down, and it got to a point where I felt like I was moving alone.
The turning point came when Cindy decided to confront those fears rather than allow them to dictate her choices.
But when I was able to overcome my fears as a person, I decided to keep at it.
Now 41, the “Ayokyayokya” star shows no signs of slowing down.
In fact, she has no plans to retire from music, although she says her style may continue to evolve as she grows older.