In many ways, Joshua Baraka is the voice that Ugandan pop music has been waiting for—one with a sound that captures the hearts of local audiences while cutting through in the global market. The 24-year-old singer/songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist is one of the biggest artists in his country, with over 20 million worldwide streams. Since the viral success of his breakout single NANA catapulted him into superstardom two years ago, he has been on a generational run. He has been nominated for a Trace and an AFRIMMA award, toured Europe opening for Bien, worked with the likes of Joeboy, Ghetts, JAE5, and FAVE, and was named a Spotify Africa Radar artist in 2024.
This meteoric rise is unprecedented for a homegrown Ugandan act. While many of his contemporaries are confined to regional audiences, his music has a unique borderless appeal— sonically fluid and emotionally resonant, yet still deeply steeped in Ugandan cultural and aesthetic references. His musical palette ranges from sentimental ballads and anthems like Dalilah, his biggest song of last year about a love gone sour, to upbeat dancehall infused anthems like DIGII IV with Tenorboy. In either case, what always stands out are his soft like butter vocals.
One scroll through any of Joshua’s comment sections will confirm the sense of pride that his success instills in Ugandans across the diaspora. One, under the mini-documentary accompanying his latest project RECESS reads “I feel like we as UG are so blessed to have a person like you.” Another says “You’re really gonna make it Joshua Baraka. You’re gonna carry Ugandan music to far places.” His global reach gives voice to local dreams, redefining what it means to be an East African artist on the world stage – a mantle that he embraces with open arms. “[Cultural ambassadorship] is definitely something I try to embody,” he says. “Uganda has a lot to offer the world. I just try to present that and get more eyes to look at us. It feels good to know your people have your back.” For now, he is focused on pushing the limits of his own craft and cultural influence with hopes of blazing a trail for others to follow. “I’m trying to put myself in a position where I can put more people on,” he says. “To set up an eco-system around me of things that [go] beyond just me as an artist.”
Showing no sign of slowing down, last week he dropped his first single of the year, Wrong Places to much fanfare. In classic Baraka fashion, it is an almost solemnly introspective narrative about enabling drug abuse in a relationship, sung atop dreamy upbeat afropop production by Grammy Award-Winning producer JAE5. It debuted at the top of Uganda and Kenya’s Apple Music charts, with its ear-worm of a hook catapulting it to virality in the region as well.
As our latest Future of Music cover star, Rolling Stone Africa caught up with the ever humble and jovial Joshua about his place in the music industry and his vision for the future.
“Uganda has a lot to offer the world. I just try to present that and get more eyes to look at us."
You’ve been selected as part of Rolling Stone Africa’s “Future of Music.” What does it mean to you to be recognized as an artist who represents the future of music?
It means a lot. It means I’m doing something right and I am on a path towards greatness. I believe that the future of music right now is in East Africa. There’s a lot of artists there that are ready to take it over. It feels really good to be recognized. It’s an honor. Thank you
How do you see the evolution of Afro-Caribbean music in recent years? What excites or challenges you about these changes, and how do you imagine the future of Afro-Caribbean music? Are there any artists or trends you think we should keep an eye on?
I feel like music now is getting back into feels. For a minute there, it just got into vibes, and [people] just tryna catch a vibe, but now I feel like it’s going back into people trying to feel something when they listen to music. It’s going back to lyricism, wider, more complex production. I’m excited to see where that goes.
The challenge now is trying to make music that each and everyone understands because with social media now you have access to the whole world. So trying to balance the influences in your music and the content in it to fit each and everyone is a bit more complex.
I think Afro-Carribean music is at an all time high right now. With time, it will be as big as rock or pop or any other big genre. There’s a lot of artists from Uganda that are doing amazing like Elijah Kitaka, Azawi, Soundlykbb, CXNRVD, Kohen Jaycee, Nice Akeine. In Kenya there’s Maya Amolo. There’s Maali, there’s Andyah, there’s Iyanah. So I think the eyes should be kept on East Africa. It’s up next! The lyricism is there and the music is amazing.
If you could imagine a truly futuristic or unexpected collaboration—or simply one you’d be proud to share with your community in the coming years—which African or international artist would you choose, and why?
I would love to work with Adele. That would be crazy, and I feel like it would be an unexpected collaboration. I’d be curious to see what would come out of it.
Is there an important lesson or shift in perspective that you gained from your travels abroad?
All of us are really really similar. Everyone around the world. Our childhoods, our lives. Intrinsically we are all the same. That gave me confidence to put more of myself out there. I realized that my general experiences can translate anywhere. No matter what country you go to, there are still dreamers, people who wake up every day and push. All these talented people across the world. So what really makes you special is being you.”
When asked about your favourite place you have travelled to in the world, your first response was “home is always best.” What is it about where you come from that is so special?
East Africans are very communal people. People who love people. You’ll meet someone [for the first time] and they’ll go out of their way to help you. One of the things I love most about us is our ability to accommodate, show love to everyone, and extend grace. That’s what makes us special.
