After years of planning, delays, and near-silence around its rollout, Ugandan recording artist Lydia Jazmine — real name Lydia Nabawanuka — has released her first full-length studio album. The project, titled The One and Only, dropped on July 25.
She’s 33 now, and this moment has been a long time coming.
On Instagram, she told her followers: “I have really worked hard for this one.”
The album didn’t come easy. Jazmine had been working on it for two years. Its release was pushed back by what she described as “distribution issues,” though she didn’t go into detail.
The 15-track album pulls from Afrobeats, pop, soul, and local Ugandan instrumentation. According to Jazmine, it’s a personal expression — a reflection of her growth both vocally and artistically.
It’s also deeply collaborative.
Songwriters behind the project include Anko Ronnie, Nythia, Yesse Oman Rafiki, Esther Nabaasa — who won Tusker Project Fame in 2008 — as well as Nick Mulla and Song Boss, among others.
The guest list reads like a pan-African playlist: Nigeria’s Skales, Rwanda’s Bwiza, Tanzania’s Lava Lava, and Ugandan stars Blu3 and Elijah Kitaka all feature on the record.
Among the standout songs:
- Your Ways ft. Skales
- True Love ft. Bwiza
- Batya ft. Elijah Kitaka
- Shutter ft. Blu3
- Sure ft. Jose Chameleone
- I Miss You ft. Lava Lava
Other titles include On Fire, Right Now, Kindekere, Contegious, Sunshine, Police, This Must Be Love, Owewala, and Kintisa.
Behind the boards are several prominent Ugandan producers, including Bass Boi, Nessim Pan Production, Nexo Beats, Anko Ronnie, Artin On the Beat, Chemical Ali Nicer, and Gopa Beatz.
Jazmine will host an invite-only album release party this Sunday, July 27, at Noni Vie in Kampala. Friends, media, and fellow artists are expected to attend.
The One and Only is now streaming on Spotify, Deezer, Tidal, Apple Music, and other major platforms.
