Why Mike Kayihura Is Betting His Music Career on East Africa | Rwanda Edition

Mike Kayihura’s music career has taken him from church choirs and a first Rwandan paycheck to regional recognition across Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya. But behind the songs is a financial story shaped by contracts, missed opportunities, poor money decisions, community support and the difficult business of building a sustainable career as an independent artist.On this Financially Incorrect Rwanda Edition, Mike opens up about what it really costs to build a music career in East Africa, including the contracts that kept him from releasing music for years, the money he made from early commercial work, the unexpected success of “Sabrina,” and why Uganda eventually became such an important market for his music.He also reflects on the money he wasted when his career began taking off, the impact of COVID-19 on live performance, learning to treat music as a business, and rebuilding his career after restrictive agreements.The bigger story is about more than music. It is about creative ownership, financial discipline, contract literacy and the importance of thinking beyond your home market.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Access all our links in one place: https://lnk.bio/Financially_Inc💹 Ready to start trading?🧑‍🏫 Learn how to trade: https://lnk.bio/fxpesa📲 Open a demo trading account: https://bit.ly/DemoAccountYT 📈 Start live trading: https://bit.ly/LiveAccountYT---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Episode Chapter00:00 Mike Kayihura on Music, Money & Identity03:00 Growing Up Across Rwanda, Uganda & Kenya06:30 Finding His Voice Through Church10:00 His First $100 and First Big Paycheck15:00 When Music Started Becoming Serious20:00 The Influence of Family & Community26:00 Moving to Ethiopia to Study Music30:00 Learning Music Through Improvisation34:00 The Contract That Restricted His Music38:00 Making Barely Mixed on a Budget41:00 Five Years Without a Formal Release44:00 How “Sabrina” Changed Everything46:00 Why Uganda Became a Major Market48:00 Making Money, Spending Money & Regrets50:00 What COVID Did to His Music Income52:00 Another Contract, Another Career Setback55:00 Trusting Friends Over Legal Advice58:00 Rebuilding His Career With Inaza1:02:00 Why Rwandan Artists Need Regional Markets1:06:00 Building Beyond Kigali1:10:00 Where His Music Income Comes From1:12:00 The Business of Being an Artist