{"id":520,"date":"2026-07-06T04:28:54","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T04:28:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/monkey.ug\/?p=520"},"modified":"2026-07-06T04:28:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T04:28:55","slug":"begombeko-originally-written-for-zari-hassan-paddy-man-reveals-how-iryn-namubiru-landed-the-hit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/monkey.ug\/index.php\/2026\/07\/06\/begombeko-originally-written-for-zari-hassan-paddy-man-reveals-how-iryn-namubiru-landed-the-hit\/","title":{"rendered":"Begombeko Originally Written for Zari Hassan: Paddy Man Reveals How Iryn Namubiru Landed the Hit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One of Iryn Namubiru’s most celebrated songs nearly had a completely different owner, with veteran producer Paddy Man revealing that Begombeko originally written for Zari Hassan never made it beyond the recording stage before eventually becoming one of Iryn’s best-known releases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The revelation came during Paddy Man’s appearance on the Shalom 256 Podcast, where he reflected on the journey behind the song and explained why it ultimately changed hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the producer, songwriter Nince Henry created Begombeko with Zari Hassan in mind at a time when the socialite and businesswoman was pursuing a music career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paddy Man said he had already worked with Zari on several songs and expected Begombeko to become another addition to her catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The producer said the recording process with Zari did not unfold as expected. He explained that, at the time, he approached music with a strict production philosophy that placed emphasis on creating the strongest possible record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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That experience, he said, shaped the decision to look for another artiste to perform the song. The move eventually led to Iryn Namubiru, who went on to record the track that later became one of her hit songs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paddy Man’s account offers a rare look at how songs sometimes take unexpected paths before reaching the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While listeners often associate a hit record with the artiste who performs it, producers and songwriters frequently make creative decisions behind the scenes that determine who ultimately records a composition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this case, Paddy Man said the deciding factor was the vocal performance he believed the song required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He recalled that after listening to the finished composition, he concluded it demanded a stronger voice than the one available during the original recording sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Since now many years have gone by, I can talk about it. Begombeko was written for Zari initially. I had done some songs for her and when I tried to make her sing it, things didn\u2019t click because I\u2019m a purist, except now I understand music in a broader way.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The producer also reflected on how his perspective has changed over the years. He said he now appreciates that people make music for different reasons, although his own priority has always been producing the best possible record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That philosophy, he explained, influenced his recommendation that the song be given to another singer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I told Nince Henry the song was good and it needed a better voice because Zari is good at many things, but she isn\u2019t a singer. She couldn\u2019t do what Iryn did. I listened to the song and it was big for Zari, so I suggested Iryn, and she did justice to it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The revelation also shines a light on a lesser-known chapter of Zari Hassan’s career. Before becoming widely recognised as a businesswoman and public figure, Zari briefly ventured into music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During that period, Paddy Man produced several songs for her, according to his account on the podcast. Nince Henry, meanwhile, wrote Begombeko<\/strong>, with the original intention that Zari would perform it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those plans changed after the recording sessions failed to produce the result Paddy Man wanted. The song was then recommended to Iryn Namubiru.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She recorded and released it, and it went on to become one of her notable songs. For followers of Ugandan music, the story offers insight into the collaborative nature of record production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A successful song is often shaped by multiple creative decisions involving writers, producers and performers before it reaches audiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paddy Man’s account suggests Begombeko is one example of how matching a song with the right vocalist can alter its eventual journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His remarks also revisit the contribution of Nince Henry as the songwriter behind the composition while highlighting the producer’s role in deciding who would eventually record it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, Paddy Man’s interview stands as the confirmed account of how Begombeko moved from its original intended singer to Iryn Namubiru.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several details remain unconfirmed. The exact year the song was written has not been disclosed. It is also unknown when the recording sessions with Zari took place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There has been no confirmed comment from Zari Hassan regarding Paddy Man’s revelation. Likewise, Nince Henry has not publicly confirmed the producer’s account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether a demo version recorded by Zari exists has also not been confirmed. Paddy Man’s recollection nevertheless provides fresh context to the history of a song many fans have long associated exclusively with Iryn Namubiru.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His account suggests that Begombeko originally written for Zari Hassan ultimately found its lasting identity only after he recommended Iryn Namubiru, whom he says “did justice to it.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of Iryn Namubiru’s most celebrated songs nearly had a completely different owner, with veteran producer Paddy Man revealing that Begombeko originally written for Zari Hassan never made it beyond the recording stage before eventually becoming one of Iryn’s best-known releases. The revelation came during Paddy Man’s appearance on the Shalom 256 Podcast, where he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":521,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[47],"class_list":{"0":"post-520","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-zari-hassan"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/monkey.ug\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/monkey.ug\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/monkey.ug\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monkey.ug\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monkey.ug\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=520"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/monkey.ug\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":523,"href":"https:\/\/monkey.ug\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520\/revisions\/523"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monkey.ug\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/monkey.ug\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monkey.ug\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monkey.ug\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}