Three artistes will battle it out for honours and cash award on August 30 when curtains fall on the Primus Guma Guma Superstar Season 4.

Jay Polly, Dream Boys and Bruce Melodie will sing their way to the grand prize of Rwf24 million and other spoils, including sponsorship deal for a new album.

The grand finale which was slated for Saturday August 9 was pushed to August 30 because of the ongoing Council of East and Central Africa Football Association.

The three are using the opportunity to amass more votes but what will count more will be their impression before the judges and crowd come August 30.

After touring the country to perform on roadshows, the 10 contestants of the annual musical show — Jay Polly, Jules Sentore, Christopher, Young Grace, Diana Teta, Ama G the Black, Bruce Melodie, Senderi International Hit and the two groups Dream Boys and Active — came to learn of their fate last Saturday.

The last roadshow, which was live, took place in the western town of Rubavu, where the top three were announced after exhilarating performances.
All the contestants had tried to woo the judges and public but only three made the cut.

It was difficult for some of the contestants to accept their fate, with Christopher announcing that they unlikely to take part in PGGSS again.
However, the seven are still in contention for fourth to 10th positions.

The grand prize is Rwf24 million while the contestants who finish second and third will walk away with Rwf3.5 million and Rwf3 million respectively. The fourth-best contestant will take home Rwf2 million while the fifth-placed will pocket Rwf2 million.

Jay Polly

Joshua Tuyishime aka Jay Polly is a hip hop star. He has tried his luck twice.

On the maiden PGGSS, which was won by Tom Close in 2011, Jay Polly had been billed among the possible winners only for him to finish behind King James and the eventual winner Tom Close.

Being the public favourite, the decision did not go down well with fans who pelted the stage with stones, prompting the intervention of police during the grand finale.

In 2012, Jay Polly got to the final but faced stiff competition from King James, who was equally popular. The rapper emerged second.

However, that same year in the run up to the 2013 nominations, a frustrated Jay Polly was involved in a war of words with showbiz journalists, who he described as “empty tins” and “semi-illiterate.”

The highly publicised altercation meant that showbiz journalists, who nominate the group of 20 from which the 10 are picked, would deliberately punish Jay Polly by not nominating him. As a result, he did not participate in last year’s show yet technically this was his year.

Riderman aka Emery Gatsinzi, took advantage of Jay Polly’s absence to claim the honours.

Humbled, Jay Polly apologised and effectively was nominated for this year’s contest. The timing was just perfect.

“I have done my bit, the rest it is the public to decide. However I have all reasons to believe that this is my year and this is a time for hip hop to reign,” says Jay Polly.

Dream Boys

The duo of Platini Nemeye and Claude TMC Mujyanama are considered the clean boys’ of the music industry. They cut a spotless and sober image and they sing about real life issues. They command considerable respect among the old and young alike.

They are humble and they have proved that they love their job. They have also had a shot at the previous PGGSS titles but were eliminated at early stage.

Bruce Melodie

The 22-year-old believes he stands a chance of pocketing the Rwf24m although it will not be easy. However making it this far on his first attempt is something the RnB singer is proud of already.

When PGGSS was launched four years ago, Bruce Itahiwacu was merely a back-up singer in the band, which worked with contestants during the performances. At 18, Bruce Melodie, who had not recorded a single song, exhibited his vocal abilities during warm up shows and commercial breaks.

Many people started pointing out the boy in the band who could sing.

Four years later, he is back on the same stage, not as a back-up singer for the Guma Guma stars but as a potential winner.

“Honestly, I would have been happy finishing fourth or fifth but I had not imagined myself among the top three given the competition,” said Bruce Melodie.

Bruce Melodie will count on his vocals, like he did in the previous shows, to win over the judges’ and public favour.

However, while Dream Boys and Jay Polly are seen as favourites for the title, a surprise is not ruled out. If Bruce Melodie decides to get out of his usual self and give his ultimate performance, the reaction of the crowd, coupled with the votes and judges impression can make a difference.

As MC Tino, a musician and PGGSS host said, while an artiste can be popular, there is a chance that their fans could not vote as those of someone else who is less popular.

“The performance on the finale will also make a huge difference and that’s what makes me think that Bruce Melodie like Jay Polly and Dream Boys also stands a big chance,” says Tino, who has been part of PGGSS since its invention.

Last year’s winner, Riderman, has also given his analysis, concluding that the possibility of Jay Polly winning is very high as it has been long awaited. He however didn’t rule out Dream Boys.

Dream Boys

Dream Boys have had the endorsement of Knowless Butera, who pulled out of this year’s contest. Knowless argued that their hard work and discipline is something Rwandans ought to reward. 

According to one of the judges, Aimable Twahirwa, the judges’ vote consists of 80 per cent while the other 20 per cent is through SMS voting. The judges’ award marks based on stage presence vocals and crowd reaction.

The grand finale is on Saturday August 30 at Amahoro National Stadium, Kigali.