Ugandan music prodigy Suubi shares “Last Christmas,” an Afrobeats-infused cover of Wham!’s 1984 holiday hit featuring nostalgia-inducing production.
Listen HERE via Free Lunch / Warner Records.
“Last Christmas” honors the familiar synth-pop melody, but slows down long enough to lock up with a syncopated rhythm while Suubi flexes his production skills by laying in keys, bells, and chimes with a warm, taped-warped feel. Staying true to the lyrics in Wham!’s holiday classic, Suubi’s silky voice cries the familiar line, “This year, to save me from tears / I’ll give it to someone special.”
Suubi’s inaugural entry into the Christmas canon follows last month’s Casa’s Journal, a stunning debut project that shows off his soulful and inventive mix of R&B, Afrobeats, guitar, and atmosphere. The singular vision of a self-taught singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, the release is a deeply personal work about love, faith, vulnerability, and growth.
Casa’s Journal was led by the gorgeously lovelorn “Incognizant” and early single “Growth,” a stately song about unpacking and accepting loss. Suubi’s lyrics are plain-spoken truths and his dynamic production intensifies every story, but the steady hum coursing through the heart of every track is hope — which is what Suubi’s name means in the Bantu language of Luganda.
Suubi first embraced music as a child growing up in Kampala, Uganda, teaching himself on the piano in his father’s home and experimenting with the instruments at his church. After joining the choir at age 12, and soon becoming the lead vocalist, he picked up guitar and drums in earnest. Once he moved stateside in 2019, Suubi began sharing covers of his influences (Drake, Frank Ocean, et al.) to YouTube, sporting a gravelly tone that begged to be outfitted by his own lyrics.
Now, as Suubi prepares to open up his next chapter, “Last Christmas” is a gift for the fans — a moment to reflect on his momentous past year and to look forward to what comes next.
ABOUT SUUBI:
Ugandan prodigy Suubi makes you feel the ache of secondhand heartbreak. The 22-year-old singer/songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist has so far worked out of his bedroom, creating soulful, richly textured work that feels like eavesdropping on hushed conversations. His lyrics are plain-spoken truths and his dynamic production intensifies the story, but the steady hum coursing through the background of every song is hope — which is, in fact, what his name means in the Bantu language of Luganda. Recently signed to Warner Records and Free Lunch, the self-taught, Maryland-based artist is the architect of his aural universe — a sound rooted in modern R&B but driven by guitars, atmosphere, and rhythms that vacillate between Afrobeats and 808s, while his gravely vocal tone speaks of hard revelations that only an unwavering faith can mend. All of that comes to bear on his stunningly heartfelt debut single, “Growth.” As the son of jazz musician Isaiah Katumwa, Suubi’s path to now began at home tinkering on the piano, but his true music immersion happened at church. Joining choir at age 12 (and eventually leading it) gave him access to drums and guitars (acoustic, electric, bass), and he experimented freely. By 2021, after moving Stateside, he was covering his influences (Drake, Frank Ocean, et al.) on YouTube while shaping the songs we’re just now getting to hear. Already, Suubi’s superpower is clear: with vulnerability, he turns every would-be weakness into quiet strength.
