D’Mario has spent years helping shape Uganda’s hit music, with production credits that include Lydia Jazmine‘s “Gimpe,” Sheebah Karungi‘s “Jealousy” and Mudra‘s “Muyayu.”
Yet, when asked to name the song that gave him his biggest breakthrough, the Ugandan producer, born Kabejja Mario, points to Nina Roz’s “Anayinama.”
During a conversation on Deep Talk, D’Mario singled out the 2020 release as the record that truly put his name in people’s ears.
My breakthrough, I think, was “Anayinama” by Nina Roz. But even before “Anayinama,” I had done “Gimpe” by Lydia Jazmine and other songs by other musicians. But the one I saw that really put D’Mario into people’s ears was “Anayinama.”
The song’s creation carried its own sense of urgency.
Alvin Keys wrote it, and D’Mario says they moved from the studio to release almost immediately.
It was written by Alvin Keys, and it was a moment because we recorded the song today and released it the next day.
That quick turnaround also speaks to the unpredictable nature of hit songs.
According to D’Mario, sometimes the records that leave the biggest mark come together in the most spontaneous moments.