You would never have guessed it but once Angel Mutoni wasn’t as confident as she now seems.
‘I was once a very shy girl. I looked down on myself a lot,’ she admits. But as she had got more successful, this has changed. And today, she wants to share her newly found confidence and positive energy with other women, young girls in Rwanda in particular.
‘I like to write about believing in yourself and doing things the way you want to do them,’
Angel Mutoni is a young and talented Rwandan female rapper who aims to show women, especially young girls, that nothing is impossible.
She has been into music since she was young, but 2011 was a turning point for her. That’s when she started her music career mixing different genres including hip hop, R’n’B and soul.
‘I like to write about love, loving oneself and love in general but mainly about believing in yourself and doing things the way you want to do them,’ says the passionate artist; her eyes sparkling. ‘That’s the type of message I like to hear so that’s what I try to send out as well.’
Little girl push away that fear
Don’t let yourself feel the strains of the years
Let the colours of the sky wipe away the blood in your tears
Your heart ain’t made of steel, but you gotta make it still
Take your skills, make em’ real
You know you gotta fulfill,
The destiny don’t set it aside, don’t let em’ conceal
You in a box, although you are a treasure
Let the sparkle in your eye, keep shining forever
days get better, when you learn to dance under the weather
You’re a pearl baby girl, better act like one
Don’t drop that thun, thun, thun
You gotta save some, be patient
You gotta say it, then say something
But learn to balance out your voice
Make sure you’re not just making noise
And remember you always got a choice
Never forget that you’re your number one
Take care of yourself, before you lead them to the sun.
People often wonder about her career choice. Making it in a male-dominated industry can be tough and frustrating. There are not many female rappers in the world, let alone in Rwanda. But this does not prevent her from pursuing her passion.
‘I’d like to do what you do but I can’t because my family – or society – will think I’m just a street kid; that I’m acting bad.’
Since many Rwandans still believe that music is something you do because you have nothing else to do, Angel wants to prove them wrong.
‘I wanna make sure that in the future I incorporate the Rwandese thing so that even if I go abroad they say: “Oh, she’s from Rwanda!”‘
Music for her is not just a hobby; it is her main source of income. ‘I really want to emphasise that it’s not necessarily going to lead you down a bad path. You can make a career out of it.’
She dreams of the day she will be able to tour the world and represent Rwanda. ‘Most of the time when people hear my music, they think… Oh no, she’s not Rwandese, she speaks English, she raps, and it’s hip hop. I wanna make sure that in the future I incorporate the Rwandese thing so that even if I go abroad they say: ‘Oh, she’s from Rwanda!’ I want that to be a thing. That’s my main dream.’
Angel has released a free mixtape online a couple of months ago and is now working on a new video. Make sure to watch out for her.
Check out Angel’s website angelmutoni.com
Follow her on Twitter @AngelRwMutoni