Who is Azawi? The Ugandan singer turning personal hustle into pop success

By the time Ugandan singer-songwriter Priscilla Zawedde—better known as Azawi—appeared on the iconic Times Square billboard in New York City, she had already travelled a long, winding road from the school halls and dance troupes of Kampala to the global Afrobeats stage.

Born on 2 February 1996 to Walusimbi Samuel and Nakamatte Mary, Azawi grew up in the Ugandan capital, moving between schools in search of stability and opportunity. Her early education took her from Buganda Road Primary to Mother Kevin Primary in Mukono District, and later through a string of secondary schools before earning a Bachelor of Commerce from Makerere University. But even as she pursued her studies, her heart belonged elsewhere.

“I started out dancing,” she recalled in a recent interview, referencing her early years with the Kika Dance Troupe and later, Crane Performers. It was a childhood shaped by performance, discipline, and long nights on stage—even touring China twice before she turned 18. But when her academic performance began to slip, she made a difficult choice. “I had to stop dancing and focus,” she said.

By 2011, Azawi had turned her creative energy to songwriting. What began as a casual hobby quickly became a source of income, particularly after the death of her father in 2012. The loss pushed her into a new role at home, helping her mother support her younger siblings. Songwriting, she realised, could be more than just a passion—it could be a profession.

Her talent did not go unnoticed. A meeting with celebrated singer Eddy Kenzo opened the door to collaborations with some of Uganda’s biggest female stars, including Vinka, Lydia Jazmine, Pia Pounds, Nina Roz and Carol Nantongo. Yet Azawi was still working as a waitress at a restaurant her mother had opened when, in 2019, she wrote a song titled Quinamino. Initially meant for another artist, the track would become her breakthrough.

When she walked into the Swangz Avenue offices in August of that year, her plan was to sell the song. Instead, the label offered her a contract.

“She had a voice, but more than that, she had a story,” a representative from Swangz Avenue said at the time. In January 2020, Quinamino was released as her debut single. The response was immediate. Azawi had arrived.

Since then, she’s gone on to release more than 20 songs and perform at major venues, including a sold-out maiden concert at Lugogo in 2022. Her music, often a blend of Luganda and English, sits comfortably within the Afrobeats genre, but carries the signature of a songwriter who knows how to connect with emotion and energy alike.

In 2021, she became the first Ugandan woman—and only the third Ugandan overall, after Eddy Kenzo and Bobi Wine—to appear on the Times Square and Los Angeles billboards. It was a landmark moment, and for many, a symbol of how far Ugandan music had come.

Now a Guinness brand ambassador—alongside Nigerian Afropop star Fireboy DML—Azawi continues to balance her rise to stardom with candid reflections on life beyond the spotlight.

“I actually want to give birth to at least four kids,” she said with a laugh during a recent interview. “I’m not yet ready to give birth but I’ll give it time. For now, I’m focused on looking for money.”

When asked about her love life, she was just as open. “Right now, I’m not seeing anyone. I’m just having a good time with myself, doing music.” Then, a pause. “Okay, I won’t say I’m not entirely seeing someone… but it’s not like it’s serious.”

There’s a frankness to Azawi—equal parts ambition, vulnerability, and self-awareness—that makes her hard to ignore. In a regional music scene often dominated by men, she’s carved out space not just as a performer, but as a writer, a business-minded artist, and a cultural voice in her own right.

For many Ugandans, her story resonates not just because of her success, but because of its relatability. She’s danced, she’s served tables, she’s written songs for others—only to find her own name in lights, half a world away.

And yet, for all the billboards and brand deals, she remains rooted in the same thing that started it all: the work.

Music Album

• LoFit (2020)
• African Music (2021)
• SANKOFA (2023)

‘African Music’ by Azawi is made up of 16 tracks. These include; 

1. Gimme
2. Craving you heavy
3. Bamututte
4. Thankful ft Benon
5. Majje ft Fik Fameica, 
6. Slow dancing
7. Face Me ft A Pass
8. Fwa Fwa Fwa
9. Ku Kido, 
10. My Year
11. Tubatiisa
12. Party Mood
13. Nkuchekele ft Eddy Kenzo, 
14. Love you is easy, 
15. African Music
16. Ache for you.

The 16-track project— is the follow-up to the 2020 EP ‘LoFit’. Listen to the African Music album here.