Cindy Sanyu, is Satisfashion UG’s ‘Person of The Year’, a title that honours people who have been extraordinarily inspirational; passively or actively, as chosen by the Satisfashion UG team. ‘Person of The Year’ is part of Satisfashion UG’s annual list of the 40 Movers & Shakers of the year.
2020 has been a year of immense strife, tumult, uncertainty, loss pain and so much more. But, it has also been a great learning curve for everyone; a time to reflect upon our purpose on this planet, and how we can make our lives more meaningful.
Sanyu, a singer, who was has been making music and entertaining us for 15 years. She describes 2020 as “a year that has been so good to me.” She had the biggest concert of year, held without the backing of a promoter or a label; she found love, and continued to live her truth. She’s launching a makeup line, an idea she’s been toying around with since her days in Blu*3. Cindy Sanyu Beauty launches in 2021!
In her chat with Satisfashion UG, she spoke up, gain. See a few excerpts below.
On her openness, being vocal and speaking her truth
If any of you knows ‘Bateso’, you’ll agree with me that we’re very blunt and straight when it comes to voicing our opinions. I got it from my mother, she’s very vocal and always stays truthful to who she is no matter what it’ll cost her. I’ve seen her fight for her truth all my life. So, I’d like to say that that zeal and openness comes from how I was brought up. And then, it also comes from the fact that I live in the community, I don’t live far away from people. Whatever affects them might not affect me directly, but I cannot blind myself to it when I see it happen. In the beginning I used to, but as I grew up, I realized that you cannot stay blind for too long. You have to accept, at a certain point, that you have the responsibility in this country and world as a human being, to make change, because keeping quiet has never changed anything.
On politics and the elections
I feel like if we kept quiet and just voted, and showed all our anger on the votes, and then after that whatever happens happens. If there’s peace, then well and good, but in my heart, that’s what I want. I don’t want people to think I’m insensitive. I’m just scared as a mom!
On her tiff with singer Sheebah Karungi
It was personal for me because I knew her personally. This wasn’t just some industry person, she was my student for a year, and I mentored her. For her whole team to come at me like that, it was personal. It was not business at all, the fact that it made business was just a plus, but I didn’t care. Like, you can go against anybody else, but not me, I mentored you!
On stardom and the showbiz business
Stop hiding behind showbiz and stardom, it’s an illusion. You hide behind it so much you start to think that’s what you are. You hide behind the makeup and the theatrics and the clothes, and you forget that you are flesh and blood. The people who come to your concert want to feel a connection to you. They don’t want to feel like they are coming to watch a god or something, No!
On feeling accomplished
I feel accomplished, I’ve worked too hard to get where I am, I have worked really hard, and cannot even say what helped me get here, but somehow we got here, somehow it happened!
On her experience being in lockdown
I cannot replace the moments I’ve spent with my daughter, with my mother and my family in general. This year I’ve managed to be a ‘proper mother’, which I used to struggle with, because I didn’t have the time! My daughter was beginning to be a stranger to me, she was starting to sound like somebody else because I wasn’t there all the time.
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