robertoluoch oluoch
May 28, 2019
Ngabo Medard Jobert, better known by his stage name Meddy, is a musician of Rwandan descent based in Chicago, in the United States. He was born on the 7th of August 1989 to Sindayihebura Alphonse and Cyabukombe Alphonsine. He is the second born in a family of four children. He schooled in a number of institutions in Rwanda including Ecole Primaire Saint Joseph, Ecole Primaire La Colombiere, Lycee La Colombiere and finally Kigali Independent University (Universite Libre de Kigali, ULK) for higher education.
Music Career
Meddy’s musical journey commenced in the church where he would sing gospel songs. In fact, he began pursuing music as a gospel artist shortly after which he switched to secular music. His style of music is mainly R&B and pop. In 2010, he relocated to the United States, alongside artists The Ben, K8 Kavuyo and Cedru, after being invited by the Rwandan Community residing in Washington. They have all been doing their music in the United States ever since they moved there. Their songs are released through a record label in the United Kingdom called Pressone Entertainment.
Meddy’s songs are among those receiving immense airplay not only in Rwanda but the entire East African region. In 2014, he released a gospel song called ‘Holy Spirit’ which was received well and became a hit. His song ‘Slowly’, a love song which he released in 2017, became an instant hit and is possibly his biggest song. His other songs include; ‘Sibyo’, ‘Ntacyo Nzaba’, ‘Nka Paradizo’, ‘Nasara’, ‘Burinde Bucya’, ‘All Night’, ‘Got It’, ‘Adi Top’, ‘Everything’, ‘Lose Control’, ‘Akaramata’, ‘Mubwire’, ‘Ubanza Ngukunda’, ‘Igipimo’, ‘Oya Ma’, ‘Iyaminiye’, ‘Ndi Uw’i Kigali’, ‘Ungirira Ubuntu’, ‘Ntawamusimbura’ among others. He has worked with a number of artists including Kitoko, Adrien, Safi Madiba, and Uncle Austin.
He disclosed that distance had hindered him from working with several artists including sensational Kenyan boy band, Sauti Sol as well as Rwandan Christopher Muneza.
Tours and Performances
In 2018, Meddy was in a world tour where he performed in several countries. In the United Kingdom, performed at the Grand Occasions Banqueting Hall in Birmingham as well as the Palm Tree Banqueting Hall in London. He then visited Kenya where he performed in Nairobi’s B-Club at the second edition of a concert titled Rwanda Beauty Night. This concert was initiated to allow for more Rwandan music to reach Kenya. He also performed in Ottawa, Canada among many other places before his world tour came to an end in his home country, Rwanda. This was a very emotional moment for him since it was his first time into the country, after staying in the United States for seven good years (Opobo,2018).
Awards and Nominations
His Mega-hit, ‘Slowly’, earned him an award in the 2018 edition of Uganda’s popular HiPipo Music Awards, as the Best Song of the year in Rwanda. Moreover, he was rewarded a Silver Play Button by YouTube for reaching a hundred thousand subscribers on his channel. He was also nominated in the Listeners’ Choice category, of the 2016 edition of MTV Africa Music Awards.
