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East African folk music legend Said Karoli regrets never getting rich at a time when the world was on her feet.
Karoli burst into the limelight in the early 2000s releasing timeless pieces such as
Maria Salome: Chambua Kama Karanga, Mapenzi kizunguzungu among others which topped East African music charts at the time and within no time she became a star touring the region doing shows.
Her releases and first album titled,
Chambua kama Karanga reached a crescendo in 2023. With it came millions of Tanzanian shillings and US dollars enough to guarantee her a life of luxury.
Even the famous American black filmmaker Tyler Perry thought her hit song at the time Maria Salome was worthy of a soundtrack to his film
Peeples.
Meeting the 48-year-old today, she is a shadow of her former self, her hurt filled with so many regrets. For the last few years, she had been struggling to make a musical comeback, an effort which has suffered several false starts, perhaps a sign that her glorious days are in the past.
“I should have been wealthy then, own a couple of mansions- maybe 10 or 20 among many other multi-million investments. My name superseded me on all fronts age-wise or financially. I was a huge star generating massive income but here I am now leading a quiet life” Karoli said from her Bukoba home where she retreated when things went wrong a few years ago.
Although many of her records were sung in Indigenous lyrics and Swahili which were mostly crafted to win her fans from Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and DR Congo,
‘Maria Salome somewhat broke the ceiling to the extent of catching Perry's attention.
The song ‘Maria Salome’ narrates the tragic end of a woman who dumps her lover in search of a better life but is killed by her next catch.
So profound was the record and a perfect fit for a rom-com about a dysfunctional couple who strive to stick together, that had Perry part away with a few dollars to use it as soundtrack for his movie ‘Peeples’ which starred Hollywood stars Craig Robinson and Kerry Washington among others.
But despite making massive sales from the album to feeling up stadiums in the region, with the icing being featuring on ‘Peeples’ a film that grossed USD 9.3 million at the box office, for the village girl whose passion for performance earned her admirers across the region, the downwards spiral came a little faster than her rise.
The mother of six now blames her lack of guidance, being young, and naivety for her downfall.
“I became a star at the age of 17. Were it that I had good guidance on investment, I would be doing better today than I currently am. I made a lot of money but I was young and an orphan who lacked guidance on how to invest and better manage my finances, that’s my regret.” Saida adds.
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Although she gives credit to her fast manager for helping propel her to stardom heights, Saida still finds time to share the blame for her downfall.
“I would love to have the kind of lifestyle Diamond Platnumz has but without being under any management. Every time I think of being under management, my blood pressure rises. I prefer being an independent artist because I believe my previous management to some level exploited me. I’m to blame because I allowed them to exploit me. I was naïve and didn’t know what my worth was so I let them decide terms for me including what to pay me, I never questioned. I didn’t understand music is business. I have paid a heavy price for my naivety’” She further adds.
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