Last night was nothing short of amazing!! That’s because friends, collaborators and fans got to be treated to a vibrant EP listening party by Afro-soul sensation Jiran Seyn.
Nestled in the heart of Kololo (Plot 14 Lower Kololo Terrace), Tamarai Restaurant and Lounge provided just the perfect atmosphere for Jiran (born Jiran Ssentongo) to give us a music treat of a lifetime.
Having been released on March 28, ‘Contrast’ arrived as Jiran’s second Extended Play and it housed 7 sweet songs.
Known for his soulful vocals, introspective lyrics and aura, many were excited when he announced that he would be hosting an exclusive listening party for the EP at the start of May. Having done music for about 3 and a half years now, Jiran has carved out an ever growing audience that not only loves his artistry but music as well.
Being that Jiran sings with his band every Thursday at Tamarai themed ‘Beats and Thai’, which usually sees music and Pan-Asian (Thailand) cuisine intersect, it was so timely that he hosts it yesterday, also given the fact that it was a public holiday, hence being convenient for his fans and support system.
The event additionally attracted fellow singers, music and cultural entrepreneurs such as Julius Sese, Mitch Isabirye, former Pearl of Africa (POA) Star Search contestants Ebrahim Soul’O and Aliddeki Brian. Ebrahim also doubled as the host emcee of the night ushering us into the event smoothly.
Related: Talent Africa’s Pearl Of Africa Star Search Birthes Joint EP Between Contestants & Mentors
Clad in all white, rocking his signature locs, Jiran took to the stage at 7:34Pm, and then took us on a musical roller-coaster journey, into the past with a perfect medley of a performance of songs from his maiden EP ‘Paint a Picture’, transitioning into ‘Contrast’, and what the future looked like by giving us a peek into a yet to be released track which is one we predict to appear on his forthcoming debut album release, as per his announcement (which I’ll get into later).
However, before he could commence with the show, he shared with us a fan fact, and again, yet another exclusive: a never-heard-before reggae song. Jiran revealed to us that he composed the song for his brother as part of his brother’s final year project of the course he was doing.
Backed by his band consisting Ronnie, Paul, Jessey and Enock, Jiran opened his set with “Osinga Sente”, following it with “Kambeere Noono”, both off his very first EP. The energy and mood of the audience shot up, when he strummed his acoustic guitar to perform the fan favorites “Nyabo Sebo” and “Kupatana”.
Before we could cross over to the ‘CONTRAST’ EP set, given his cover artist roots, Jiran showcased his musical range and evolution, singing for us songs like Rita Ora and Chris Brown’s ‘Body on Me’, The Weeknd and Daft Punk’s “Feel it Coming” and unlocked his inner Nick Jonas on ‘Jealous’.
Further showcasing his versatility, Jiran performed ‘Apple’, and the crowd went crazyyyyy!! Adding another layer of musical awesomeness to the night, Jiran transitioned to perform for us his genre blending EP ‘Contrast’.
Opening with “Mirror Mirror”, the audiences was immersed in the rest of the project as they got serenaded by Jiran’s vocal delivery and heart felt lyrics. Among the songs on the EP is ‘Follow’. He had just dropped at 11am the same day, and it was already gaining momentum, with many heaping praise on the singer for his visual expression of his artistry and super star delivery and performance in it. While singing it live, he let us know of a fan fact: that he and Dny Beats worked on the track at the time of recording, mixing and mastering it, in under 2 hours.
The EP listening was nearly reaching its climax when Jiran Seyn hit us with a big announcement that in 2 months from now, he will be releasing his debut studio album ‘SKETCHES’ will be arriving. Among the few details he let us in on was that it is set to house 13 tracks in total. He played us a snippet of one of the songs on there. I Shazam-ed it in vain, because my ears liked what they were listening to, only to be reminded that the song is yet to be released. It has banger potential, and the thing about music, is that I can tell a hit when I see/ listen to it, so we wait.
The show was intended to end at 9:30PM sharp, but entering “Extra Time” as used in the soccer world, Jiran treated to us an additional 30 minutes. During this engagement, he did a few more covers. Citing that his peers sometimes compare his voice to James Blunt’s, and others to that of the legendary Tracy Chapman, Jiran performed for us a song from each; “Goodbye My Lover” from the former and “Fast Car” by the latter. We jokingly debated whether he sounded more like James Blunt or Tracy Chapman when he sang, ultimately leaning towards James Blunt. Jiran then did a rendition of Brett Young’s “In case You Didn’t Know’, after which he engaged in a brief Question and Answer session.
When asked what elements he wished to showcase with particular project ‘Contrast’, Jiran said that when he created his first body of work “Paint a Picture”, he was trying to give Ugandan music, a sound that is exportable since for a long time, everyone has wondered what is the Ugandan sound. So when he wrote the EP, he wrote all the songs on it in Luganda, with only one being in English. By penning these tracks and recording them, it was Jiran’s contribution to the conversation, though unfortunately the project didn’t perform as he expected. With “Contrast”, he is here and ready to continue to assert that this is the route he is taking musically, and being true to himself. Unlike the former, ‘Contrast’ has 6 songs in English, with only one recorded in Luganda.
Jiran then proceeded to perform his last three songs of the night, ‘Follow’, “Motion” and then invited Deed to join him on stage and together put up a show stopping performance of ‘Nalumansi”. It was such an energetic performance that the audience requested they do it one more time.
Following the performance, attendees engaged in networking and exchanged pleasantries. Many also captured pictorial memories of the event, some with Jiran and his team, as well as with fellow artist
Having discovered Jiran Seyn in 2021 while at a staff retreat where he was playing for us a chill acoustic set by the swimming pool as we had dinner, last night was a full circle moment for me, seeing him grow, from a cover artist to a full blown recording and performing artist. He has now 2 Extended Plays (EP), a string of notable singles like “Dummy”, and very soon, an album. Jiran’s style of music uniquely infuses R&B, soul, Afro-soul, pop, Afrobeats, and EDM. In case you haven’t listened to Jiran’s EP “CONTRAST”, you can experience ‘Contrast’ below:
