A much-anticipated collaboration between Rwandan singer Chriss Eazy and Tanzanian artist Zuchu has stalled after the audio recording was completed but plans to shoot its music video failed to move forward.
The collaboration, which had been discussed since last year, was expected to help Chriss Eazy reach a wider audience in Tanzania and beyond.
According to information obtained by InyaRwanda, the main hurdle emerged when the project reached the video production stage. The proposed production, including travel by Chriss Eazy and his team from Kigali to Tanzania, was estimated to cost about Rwf25 million.
The team then had to consider whether the expected return from the collaboration would justify the investment.
Junior Giti, who manages Chriss Eazy’s activities, said the decision was not driven by a reluctance to spend on the project.
“We first looked at the tangible benefits it would bring after its production,” Giti told InyaRwanda.
The case highlights some of the financial challenges involved when Rwandan artists pursue collaborations outside the country.
Such projects can involve expenses beyond recording, including international travel, accommodation, production crews, music videos and promotion. Giti said some previous collaborations between Rwandan artists and foreign musicians had failed to generate returns matching the resources invested.
He said the issue was therefore not about avoiding major investments, but determining whether the money put into a project could produce meaningful benefits for the artist.
The planned song with Zuchu was considered a potentially significant collaboration because of the Tanzanian singer’s profile in East African music.
Zuchu, whose full name is Zuhura Othman Soud, joined WCB Wasafi in 2020 and has since become one of Tanzania’s prominent female artists. She has worked with several established musicians in Tanzania and beyond.
For Chriss Eazy, the collaboration would have been part of his efforts to expand his audience outside Rwanda. He has built his profile through songs including “Ese Urabizi,” “Tegereza,” “Fasta,” “Amashu” and “Inana,” while increasingly working in Afrobeats and R&B.
His team has continued to explore regional collaborations, but the stalled project shows that bringing together artists from different markets requires more than completing a recording. The cost of producing, releasing and promoting the work must also be weighed against its expected commercial return.
