Lily Kadima was born in Uganda to Sarah Ssenyonyi (kitimbo),a
house wife, and Mathew Ssenyonyi a business man. Her mother is a native from
Eastern Uganda (Musoga) and father from Central-uganda in buganda kingdom a
Muruli from Nakasongola district,hence a half-cast with mixed ancestral
cultures as she describes herself a real Ugandan.
Lily Kadima very shy a child then, passively participated in
church choirs, high school musicals and drama. As her passion for music grew,
she natured it further with the fusion band a place where she started a
professional music career. While with band she performed on various stages
ranging from hotels, bars, weddings, theatre, cooperate parties and concerts.
In her words "Music to me is a medium through which I exercise freedom,
solace, piece of mind as I create, empower, share information and entertain my
fans and society with different aspirations about love, life, injustices,
culture and art".
As a child growing up Kadima was exposed to live music concerts
of artists like LuckyDube, UB40, Micheal Jackson, BrendahFassie, Tsahala mwana,
Paul Kafeero, Kanda Bongoman at home always in control of entertainment "
TV remote keeper" Being a calm child then little did her parents know
Lily's journey of music though her mother always complimented her bueatiful
voice amongst her siblings as they sang lullabies and church hymns in holidays.
In her father's house reggae and popular music was daily for family to watch
over weekends and every night after dinner as all of them left for bed shy Lily
held the remote to fully enjoy the rest and imitate the artists as they perform
which over time influenced her passion for live music. Lillian Nazziwa a.k.a
Lily Kadima was educated at st.Annes Kabowa primary school Mukono,Katikamu SDA
s.s.s Luwero,Buddo s.s.s Mpigi before proceeding to Makerere university where
she majored and graduated in a bachelors 'degree in Tourism.
From church Kadima joined the circular world through a friend
artist "Clarissa nabulime, hustling for platforms she got introduced to a
few cover bands with diverse reptuas that exposed her to other styles of music
from the seventies, eighties,nineties like country,rock,jazz and blues and
singers like Whitney Houston,Mariah Carey,Tina Turner,Etta James,Miriam
Makeba,Ellafitz Gelard,Bille Holiday among others.The strong raspy vocals and
inexhaustible performances placed her in a professional band as lead singer and
band leader. It took Kadima time to pursue music as a career as most time she
was casually doing it as hobby until later 2012 she considered trying her own
music which was not easy following the challenges of marketing original music
after being branded a popular cover singer.
In 2013 she earned her attention to the music industry with a
debuted single #Akuloga off fusion band album featuring a girl group called
Golden girls where she was a lead singer managed by fusion band management. The
track and video went viral which earned it the Hipipo award of the best eastern
song of the year 2013. She continued to surge with the Blakk Golden band with
moderate hits over time later she left the girl group to catch her childhood
music dreams.
Early 2016 Lily Kadima shocked the music industry with her hit
Nazaala "mother in law"about a monstrous inlaws produced by Big Nash
Ugandan which track went viral topping media playlists in Uganda. The ethnopop
number become a timely illusional hit , late 2016 she unveiled her solo career
@uncc debuting the track to the music fans and art critics which attracted more
festival platforms and nominations in Hipipop awards 2017 as best afropop song.
Since then she is been actively performing on a festivals like
Bayimba,Pearl rhythm,Doadoa arts market,among others this has convinced her
fans that she is the Uganda pop princess and jewel of the nile. Being an
inexhausitable energetic live performer,she has become a house hold act on
music festivals in EastAfrica she performed at Uncc festival where she was
tittled the stage matador by live music fans in 2018.
In April 2018 Lily Kadima released a 13 track album tittled
"Ighe olinaki"meaning what do you have literally
questioning our commitment to appreciating our heritage and gifts as africans.
Kadima used four languages on the album thus lusoga, luganda, english and
Swahili exploiting different styles she has experienced over time consumed as
hits and moderate hits include "some one loves you",
"akabbobbo", "Nagalyaaku", "why are you slow",
"akuloga", "otandiza", "Nazaala",
"Wekunkumule", "nkulembera",and many more on iTunes stores.
Lily Kadima held a live show tittled "ighe olinaki
"with her band "tropical noyz"on 4th august 2018 at jinja
sailing club where she interacted with her fans in a "jungle
experience" which was a success. It was an art piece exhibited to attract
ecotourism in jinja and Busoga kingdom with its beautiful ecosystems as a
hospitality destination which experience impressed revellers.
Lily Kadima organized another season of ighe olinaki with a
theme "nabirye in the city " on 18th October 2019 at the Uganda
national culture centre inspiring the young people to engage in creative arts
and embrace grassroots, she performed her music which renditions were off ighe
olinaki album and sampled some singles off the fourth coming album yet to be
released. Kadima gave a memorable inexhaustible and adventuros show leaving
levellers wanting more, she is thankful to her team, family ,friends most of
all the supportive fan base and promises to give more good music till the end
of time.
