“I thought my music would be big but not as big as this, I won't lie,” Joshua Baraka tells me. Today, the young artist is at home in Kampala and basking in the success of his recent ‘Growing Pains’ project. “If you had told me that I would be in the UK having a release party, I wouldn’t believe you. I partied with Wizkid, Sarz, Maleek Berry, I worked with Jae5. It's actually pretty crazy. It's a blessing.”

The singer-songwriter may be standing tall as one of Uganda’s hottest afropop exports of now, but if his down-to-earth nature is any indicator, home is clearly something he has carried along with him every step of the way. Indeed, his heart-warming fusion sound is inextricable from the city that birthed him. “When I was really young, my mom was in the worship team so I grew up listening to gospel. As I grew older, I started listening to a lot of Ugandan music and at that time, there was a big dancehall and reggae influence,” he recalls. “Also, East Africans are very big storytellers so that’s something that I picked up on from a young age.”

From these early teachings, he went on to sharpened his craft through music school. Teenagehood saw him play piano late into the night at bars and restaurants throughout Kampala. And in 2021 he released his debut EP ‘Baby Steps’. Robust storytelling shines through as Baraka shares tales of love and self-discovery, his honeyed vocals acting as their vessel. Ever the perfectionist, he felt the project’s mixing was unrefined yet it still received considerable acclaim within Uganda, especially the standout track ‘Tewekweka’. The following year, the dulcet number ‘Belinda’ properly gave him a name within the Ugandan mainstream.

Testing out his Pan-African palette, Baraka released a few continental collaborations during this time too including ‘I Do’ with Ghana’s Bryan the Mensah and ‘Bend It’ with Kenyan R&B star Maya Amolo, both of which were followed by his 2022 EP ‘Watershed’. But it wasn’t until the release of ‘Nana’ in 2023 that Baraka got a flavour of true fame. Taking the East African market by storm, it soon prompting a remix with superstars Joeboy, Bien and King Promise, which secured three nominations at 2023’s African Muzik Magazine Awards. “‘Nana,’ went way beyond my expectations. I wish people could experience how I experienced it at its peak. If a DJ played the song, it had a life of its own. It really solidified me as that guy.”

The single’s success pushed the artist to release ‘Growing Pains’, a fresh EP largely inspired by his newfound notoriety. Reflective tracks like ‘Shine’ and ‘Dreams’ chart Joshua’s rapid rise and the rich experiences that made him, while ‘No Lie’ and ‘Moonlight’ boast features from Nigeria’s Magixx and Ghana’s Yaw Tog. The project’s lead single ‘Dalilah’, a sugary love song produced by close collaborator Axon, soon claimed top positions on Ugandan DSP charts. “’Growing Pains’ was first of all a personal project. I wanted it to pass on a message that growth hurts, but it's necessary. At the end of the day, we all have to go through these things, so I wanted to expand on the things I talked about in ‘Baby Steps’.”

Baraka continues to work tirelessly to propel his name across the globe. This March saw him tour Europe alongside Kenyan R&B star Xeniah Manneseh, as an opening act for Bien’s tour. Soon after came the ‘Growing Pains’ deluxe, a continental expansion of Joshua’s highly successful EP. Adding on the amapiano-laced ‘Alone’ with South African vocalist Nkosazana Daughter, and a reprise of ‘Dalilah’ with Nigeria’s Qing Madi and Simi, he reasserted his position as a stand-out in African music. And most recently, there’s been the single ‘Digii IV’ with Mr Tee and Tenorboy plus he’s featured on DJ Neptune’s ‘Tonight’.

Baraka’s dedication to fusion is birthing exciting sonic worlds, expanding dominant - and limiting - conceptions of what African music can be. “I feel like a lot of the world thinks Africa sounds a certain way. That it's just log drums and shakers, or just afrobeats. But Africa is very blessed and has a lot of genres. I'm just happy that I'm in a position where I'm shining light on different kinds of sounds.”

It’s clear that Baraka is keenly aware of the role that he plays - not only as a flagbearer for his country in particular, but also as a touchpoint and connector for the continent at large. However, even in the midst of all the collaborations and accolades and travel, he still operates like a young boy who is in awe of the fact that his dreams have come true - that is to say, with the utmost humility and grace. With a firm head on his shoulders, pure-as-gold vocals, and a wealth of stories to tell, Joshua Baraka is clear evidence that the future of afropop is in good hands.