Sheebah

Sheebah Karungi, the Ugandan performer known professionally simply as Sheebah, achieved rapid prominence in 2014 through her successful track “Ice Cream” and its accompanying extended play. Her distinctive blend of Afro-pop, reggae, R&B, and dancehall propelled her to international attention, while her screen debut came in 2016 with a lead role in the film Queen of Katwe. The arrival of her first two albums plus multiple singles secured four straight Best Female Artist wins at the HiPipo Awards. Her third album, Samali, followed in 2020.

Raised in Kampala’s Kawempe district, she developed an early passion for dance and joined the local Stingers troupe at age fifteen. Growing interest in music drew her to the vocal group Obsessions in 2006, where she contributed to several recordings. Launching a solo path in 2010, she issued her first official single, “Kunyenyenza.” Modest traction arrived with the later track “Automatic,” which led to a renewed partnership with its writer Sizza Man on the 2014 single “Ice Cream.” That buoyant Afro-pop number became her breakthrough and launched her career. The Ice Cream EP earned consecutive HiPipo Awards and generated demand for a full-length project, Nkwatako, released in 2016. The same year she also entered acting via Queen of Katwe and collected Best Female Artist honors at both the HiPipo and Zzina Awards.

Her second album, Karma, surfaced in 2017 as her audience expanded beyond Uganda, earning her the nickname Queen Sheeba. Continued single releases produced another major success with the 2019 Orezi collaboration “Sweet Sensation.” Following years of anticipation, she released her third album, the eighteen-track Samali, in 2020.