AFRICAN CULTURE
Zuba Ray Biography: Real Name, Songs & Kina Music Rise
Zuba Ray biography: discover her real name, Nyundo music training, Kina Music signing, songs, nomination and growing Rwandan pop career.
August 4, 2026 at 9:26:35 AM
August 4, 2026 at 9:53:16 AM
🕒 12 min read
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Zuba Ray a Rwandan singer
Zuba Ray, born Irahari Uwase Soleil, is a Rwandan singer building an early catalogue around melody, romance and Kinyarwanda expression. Her professional story began unusually: Kina Music did not discover her through a viral clip or a public talent contest.
The label selected her after visiting Nyundo School of Music in search of a new voice. She entered the industry with “Igisabo” in September 2024 and quickly moved into collaborations, reinterpretations and original singles. By August 2026, her catalogue had grown to include “Everyday” with Nel Ngabo, “Utuntu,” “Ikirezi” with King James and “Basara.” Her rise remains young, but it already joins formal training, a major Rwandan label and recognition beyond the country.
Who is Zuba Ray? Zuba Ray is Rwandan singer Irahari Uwase Soleil, a Nyundo School of Music graduate who joined Kina Music in 2024. Known for “Igisabo,” “Everyday,” “Utuntu,” “Ikirezi” and “Basara,” she represents a new generation combining trained musicianship, Kinyarwanda songwriting and contemporary Afro-pop.
A Classroom Discovery That Became Her Breakthrough
Zuba Ray’s defining first turn happened before she had a commercial catalogue. Kina Music visited Nyundo School of Music while looking for an artist to develop, and the student chosen from that search was Soleil. In a September 2024 InyaRwanda interview, she described the meeting directly:
“Kina Music yashakaga umuhanzi mushya wo gukorana nawe, icyo gihe rero baje ku ishuri ari naho twahuriye.”
In English, she explained that Kina Music wanted a new artist and met her at the school. The detail places training not internet celebrity at the centre of her entry into the industry. The label’s established roster also gave her access to experienced writers, producers and performers.
Her public launch followed on 28 September 2024 with “Igisabo.”
The New Times introduced her as the label’s new singer and described the single as the formal beginning of her career. “Igisabo” presents love as reassurance: one person promises not to repeat the hurt caused by a previous relationship. That emotional clarity became a useful starting point for a young voice whose first task was not reinvention but establishing trust with listeners.
The song also gave XTRAfrica readers the first entry in the evolving Zuba Ray songs catalogue. Her first two years then unfolded as a compact sequence testing solo work and collaboration.
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