03 — The Artist Profile
THE NAME
JOSECHAMELEONE
Jose Chameleone — born Joseph Mayanja on 30 April 1979 — is an Afrobeat legend from Kampala, Uganda.
He sings in Luganda, English and Swahili, and his sound is a signature mixture of Ugandan folk, central African rumba, zouk, R&B and reggae. Known as The Golden Voice of Africa, he is the boss of Leone Island Music Empire.
Although his music is popular across the whole African continent, the majority of his listeners come from central and East Africa — the DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania — and his stages have stretched from Kampala to the USA, UK, China and Australia.
878K
YouTube Subscribers
35M+
Views on Badilisha
13+
Studio Albums
15+
Awards & Nominations
The Golden Voice of Africa
"FROM A DJ BOOTHS IN KAMPALA TO THE BIGGEST STAGE ON THE CONTINENT."
THE JOURNEY
Joseph Mayanja
Born 30 April 1979 in Kampala, Uganda. He got his start in 1996 as a DJ at the Missouri night club in Kampala — long before the stage name Jose Chameleone became known across a continent.
Bageya — The First Single
He became active as a musician in Kenya with the Ogopa Deejays, who released his first single, 'Bageya', featuring Kenyan artist Redsan. The Golden Voice had arrived.
Mama Mia — The Debut Album
His first album, Mama Mia, dropped in 2000. By 2013 he had released 13 albums — including Kipepeo, Shida za Dunia, Valu Valu, Bayuda, Badilisha, Sweet Banana and Champion.
The Awards Pour In
PAM Awards Artiste of the Year and Song of the Year for 'Jamila' (2004), Best Afro Beat Artiste back-to-back, Kisima Awards for 'Mama Rhoda' and 'Sivyo Ndiviyo' with Professor Jay — plus Kora, MOBO and MTV Europe nominations.
Badilisha & World Recognition
'Badilisha' became a 35M+ view anthem and won HiPipo Song of the Year. He added the African Entertainment Awards' International Best Male Artist and AFRIMA Songwriter of the Year, with World Music Awards nominations for World Best Male Artist.
Gwanga Mujje — Legend in Gold
In February 2023 he held the landmark 'Gwanga Mujje' concert — 'let the whole nation attend' — at Lugogo Cricket Oval in Kampala, performing to the largest audience of his career. A sold-out 'One Man, One Million' charity gala followed, endorsed by the First Lady of Uganda.
THE PORTRAITS
