There was a time when Shola Ama’s Still Believe was more than just a song on Kampala radio stations. Released in 1999, off her In Return album, the track became one of those records that quietly attached itself to a generation. It is said, the song played through school dormitories, parties, taxis and dance floors, while simultaneously confusing teenagers who probably did not yet understand what heartbreak actually meant.
But on Sunday evening, at Mezo Noir, none of that mattered. The crowd knew every lyric anyway.
As the chorus floated through, during The Old School RnB Brunch, hundreds of voices rose with it, some passionately, others dramatically, all fully committed to reliving an era where RnB ruled both romance and emotional damage.
Curated by The Singleton, the globally celebrated Old School RnB Brunch transformed Mezo Noir into a giant singalong playground where the audience was just as important as the DJs.
According to Simon Lapyem, Brand Manager for The Singleton East Africa, that emotional connection is exactly what made the partnership with the brunch feel natural.
“Old School RnB Brunch is more than a party, it is an experience built around connection, nostalgia and shared moments,” he said. “The Singleton believes in creating spaces where people can slow down, savor the moment and genuinely connect with each other, and music has always been one of the most powerful ways to do that.”
Unlike conventional nightlife events where revelers simply dance and drink, this experience demanded participation. Microphones moved freely through the crowd as patrons took turns singing like headlining stars, sometimes confidently, sometimes terribly, but always enthusiastically.
And Kampala delivered.
The brunch brought together many of the city’s familiar faces; socialites, influencers, creatives, media personalities, and DJs, most of whom simply came looking for a good time and a heavy dose of nostalgia. But there was another layer to the crowd that evening.
Arsenal Football Club had just secured a major Premier League victory, after a twenty two year hiatus, and the celebration had clearly spilled into the party. Red jerseys appeared across tables and dance circles, turning sections of the venue into what occasionally looked like a North London supporters’ convention, with cocktails.
Yet even football celebrations had to briefly pause once the music took over.
From one record to the next, the DJs carefully controlled the emotional temperature of the room. They knew exactly when to raise the energy with hits from Ashanti, TLC and Michael Jackson, and when to slow things down enough for the crowd to fully surrender to nostalgia.
At one point, Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You echoed through the venue, prompting ambitious attempts at her impossible high notes from every corner of the room. Later, Human Nature by Michael Jackson softened the atmosphere into a collective slow sway, with strangers singing side by side like old friends.
That balance between chaos, nostalgia and emotional release, has become the defining formula behind the rise of old-school RnB experiences in Kampala.
In recent years, brunches and nightlife experiences centered around nostalgic music have steadily grown across the city, attracting audiences increasingly drawn to curated social spaces, where connection matters just as much as entertainment.
For most of such nights, there is usually a thin line between RnB and Pop. It usually starts as a Soul and RnB celebration, but somewhere in between, there is Taylor Swift, Maddona, and Katy Perry. This was one night where RnB was really RnB, for the entire night.
And perhaps that is the real magic behind the Old School RnB Brunch.
For a few hours inside Mezo Noir, adulthood paused. Bills, deadlines, and Monday anxiety, briefly disappeared beneath slow jams, harmonies and questionable crowd vocals.
By the end of the night, nobody really cared who could sing and who could not. The point was that everybody tried anyway.
