The price of fame

For anyone who watches television, reads newspapers, listens to the radio, or follows celebrity blogs, it is easy to assume that fame comes with all the “good things in life”. According to many celebrities, this includes having lots of money, spending time in luxurious places with other high-profile people, and travelling extensively for business or leisure.

Case study

When Jackie Chandiru stepped into the limelight in 2002, few could have predicted the magnitude of her stardom or the storm that would later follow. As one of the winners of the Coca-Cola Pop Stars competition, she became a household name, fronting the girl group Blu*3, which quickly took East Africa by storm. Their harmonies, style, and bold presence made them a sensation. Chandiru, with her commanding vocals and magnetic presence, stood out.

As Blu*3 rode the wave of regional success, Chandiru basked in the glow of fame. When the group eventually split, she did not disappear. Instead, she reinvented herself as a solo artist. Her hit single Agassi reaffirmed her place in the music scene, earning awards and anchoring a solo career that promised longevity. Her name opened doors performances, endorsement deals, collaborations she was everywhere, and it seemed like her star would never dim.

“I boarded my first flight because of fame, i did not pay anything. I performed and got paid,” she says.

“Because of fame i got endorsements to act as brand ambassadors, meet unique and exposed people from different parts of the world,” she adds.

Chandiru understands that fame is good but one eventually falls down if it is not properly handled carefully. Even when Chandiru has gone through the worst experience of her life, the public has come to conclude that its because of fame that influenced her to take drugs.

“Fame had nothing to do with that. Now that is another ideology now that people out there, you people got to know because of the stories that were put out there. That it was because of fame. My addiction was to a painkiller because I had a health problem. Nothing to do with fame. So, that’s why I was telling you, you people just make a web of tales to support something,”

The pressures of fame always being “on,” always being perfect began to weigh on her. She was struggling with personal pain and trauma, yet had no safe space to fall apart. In the public’s eyes, she was always “Jackie the star,” a label that left little room for vulnerability.

By that time Chandiru had no time to explain to people that her addiction had no connection with fame. To cope with back pain from an accident, she was prescribed pethidine a powerful painkiller. What began as medical treatment slowly transformed into dependency. The addiction crept in quietly, disguised by her fame and concealed behind the bright lights of stardom. Few noticed her unravelling.

Eventually, the facade cracked. Chandiru’s addiction grew severe, and she withdrew from the public eye. There were stints in rehabilitation facilities, cancelled shows, and long silences from a voice that once electrified audiences. Her career, once soaring, hung in the balance.

But the public and media never stopped following up her private, she says most of the media reports were out of context because they never thought of her explanation.

“When you are famous, you have to please everyone. You can’t be yourself or go to the market and buy some food stuffs on your own. Once seen it will be a different story. She says, adding that media looks at negative side to sell more copies.

Out of this, Chandiru says fame leads to mental disabilities of some people who fail to handle the pressure from the people’s expectations. During that time, she had become a puppet or prisoner to people’s thoughts. “People feel entitled to your life as if they own it. They can’t allow you to be free like them,” she says.

Chandiru says most of the celebrities tend to appear more on televisions or newspapers and given the influx of social media platforms their privacy gets invaded from every angle. This makes them at times not do what they always want to do. For-instance she says “The fact that we are all here on earth, it means that we are human beings. There’s just one difference, that our names just sound a little bit more than them. We all grow old. I’m not the same as I was 16 years ago, no. So, that’s what they need to know, that we do have feelings.”

Lillian Mbabazi also a member of Blu*3 says everyone is a human being despite being talented. She notes that the public tend to exclude and put them in a different category so as to view them differently concurring with her fellow fans expect a lot from and eventually fall in traps that they can not get out of.

Mbabazi has worked tirelessly to separate her life from the public but sometimes she is invaded the unscrupulous in the name of keeping their websites active.

“I separate my life from the public. Its just understanding who you are and how you want people to perceive it,” she says. “People choose not to themselves and so they build a block fence from the other invaders.

Mbabazi highly commends Julian Kanyomozi for being one of the most discrete female artists whose personal life had never been exposed. This includes her family life affairs.

DJ Nimrod (real name Nimrod Nabeta), a radio presenter and DJ, shares his two cents.

He admits there are bonuses to being famous. “It’s nice when people recognise you out of nowhere,” he says. “Sometimes you receive special treatment you didn’t expect free fuel, food, drinks in clubs or bars, medicine, and even clothes from boutiques.”

Fans often believe celebrities have everything they need. But behind the spotlight, many of them struggle. Nimrod points out that some well-known figures go home to abusive partners or sleep hungry, yet on the streets and clubs, they have hit songs. The public rarely sees this side of fame.

Dj Nimrod says privacy, once lost, is almost impossible to reclaim. Celebrities are relentlessly pursued by the media and paparazzi, who are hungry for content and rarely look beyond the surface. Even the smallest detail can be blown out of proportion where they sleep, who they date, what they wear, or which places they happen from.

This TV presenter suggests that laws should be in place to protect the privacy of celebrities. After all, public figures are still citizens and deserve the same rights.

However, many fans disagree. They argue that celebrities give up their right to privacy, noting that the moment they choose a public career, they should accept all that comes along. They believe that constant scrutiny is the price of fame, wealth, and adoration.

Media scholar and lecturer at Kampala International University (KIU), Isaac Akugizibwe, supports this idea. “Celebrities should expect to be the focus of public attention. If they can’t handle the pressure, they should reconsider their path,” he says.

Akugizibwe adds that since celebrities’ influence society, the media has a duty to scrutinise their behaviour to put them in order, just like how it does to other government officials.

Not all celebrities see fame the same way. Music artist Alexander Bagonza, better known as A Pass, believes fame is a trap. “Fame is the worst thing one can pursue. It strips you of your privacy,” he says.

To control the drama that comes with fame, the artist believes many celebrities bring attention to themselves. “If they controlled their lifestyle, they could preserve their privacy.”

In Uganda’s showbiz and public life, fame is more than just admiration it’s a loaded currency. At a glance, it sparkles: the cameras, the fans, the doors that open without knocking. But behind the glitter lies a storm few are prepared for.

Moses Nsubuga, better known as Viboyo says, fame is just like sudden wealth it overwhelms. Especially when it comes quickly and unexpectedly.

“Just like money can confuse someone who’s never had it, so can fame,” he says. “It’s an experience that can’t be fully explained, only lived. And no amount of talking will prepare someone for the shift, because when the world starts cheering for you, the noise can drown out reason,” he adds.

Misuse of fame

Viboyo believes the problem is deeper than the individual. Uganda, he says, suffers from a cultural virus the “Do you know who I am?” syndrome. It’s in music, politics, and even the armed forces. A person does something wrong, and their first defence is their identity, their connections. Power has become a shield. This entitlement does not just come with a mic or a ministerial post it runs through the veins of society. And while the faces change, the behaviour remains. “Even famous soldiers get excited,” he says. “The lights are on them, and they go out of hand.”

Fame-protecting laws

When the conversation turns to whether Uganda should create laws to protect celebrities from public scrutiny, Viboyo is blunt. “Protect them from what?” he asks. “Privacy? Invasion? Gossip? The law should be for everyone. Why would we make laws for someone just because they’re famous?” To him, justice must be blind. Creating celebrity-specific laws only deepens the gap between the privileged and the public. In a country where ordinary citizens face jail for minor traffic offences while high-profile figures walk free from embezzlement and assault accusations, selective justice is already a bitter pill.

Reflecting on his journey through Uganda’s music scene, Viboyo says he has seen it all. Artists who were hailed as stars today and forgotten tomorrow (clever Jay). Some hit the top and vanish without a trace; others fall only to rise again. Having worked closely with many of them, Viboyo says he is no longer moved by the hype.

Have mentors

For upcoming artists most of the celebrities spoken to say juniors need to be true to themselves, do good projects and take time research. Also having mentors to double check, them is very vital.

A person you fear disappointing. It could be a parent, a spouse, a spiritual leader anyone whose voice still matters when your name is flashing on billboards,” says Viboyo.

Viboyo warns that fame is not built to last. Many new stars act like the limelight will shine on them forever. “I’ve seen people rise and fall,” he says. “I’ve seen what happens when a song hits, and I’ve seen how fast it can fade.” Fame gives people a false sense of permanence. Without self-awareness, it can easily turn into self-destruction.

Wrong system? 

But Viboyo doesn’t just blame individuals he points to a systemic failure. The same culture that shields artists from consequences also protects politicians, military officers, and powerful elites. Fame or rank becomes a mask people hide behind to avoid accountability. Uganda, he argues, doesn’t lack laws it lacks enforcement. Laws are selectively applied: if you’re nobody, you face the full weight of the system; if you’re somebody, you find a way around it. It’s a dangerous imbalance, and it’s not just the entertainment industry that suffers. “The whole nation needs a reset,” he says.

But! Why do artists choose to behave that way?

Naava Grey explains that some artists are influenced by their managers to behave in a different way to attract the attention of the public.

“They are telling you that you should strip because they are thinking that the audience loves that body and not your spirit, and for your music to sell, you have to first show that body; that’s a wrong approach,” she says.

Grey also concurs with Viboyo that young artists need guidance to avoid unscrupulous people coming for the wrong reasons. She says that without guidance from the experienced people around, this young contender is likely to fail to manage fame, which can eventually become too hard to manage.

“At this point, you attract who you are, not who you want,” she says. “The skin you display all the time will not lead you anywhere but the discipline of a proper dress code,” she adds.

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