I told Julius Kyazze I was expecting after five months – Vinka

By Ahmad Muto
Well, singer Veronica Luggya, alias Vinka, said her pregnancy was not a secret like it was reported in the media. She said people just failed to figure it out because she graced many events and performed as her stomach bulged, but nobody noticed, not even her bosses at Swangz Avenue. She mentioned performing at Blankets and Wine when she was four months, Comedy Store when she was seven months and at the launch of the MTV MAMAs that was later cancelled. She had to break the news to her boss, Julius Kyazze, herself.
“I told Julius about my pregnancy after five months. I did not tell him early because honestly with music issues, you cannot tell the manager you want to have a baby when they have other priorities. So, I asked him if he had some time to talk, in fact I begged for a minute,” she said.
When she walked in, the last thing Kyazze expected was that Vinka was expecting because she had been out and about, nailing performances.
“I walked in and told him I was five months pregnant. He was like, ‘What? Where is the stomach?’ Because he had just seen me perform at an MTN show that he produced, he took a deep breath and said ‘I am happy for you. I am also glad it is happening at the right time,’” she said.
Vinka welcomed a baby girl in on Tuesday, January 19, 2021 just a week after photos of her secret baby shower emerged online.
According to Julius Kyazze, there is no wrong or right time to have babies. It is a personal decision that they respect whenever the talent or employees decide they want to have a family or take some time off. He says the staff have a right and the label does not interfere, but supports them anytime they decide to do it.
Kyazze noted that they have a standard policy on the issue like any other establishment. When a lady says they are pregnant, the organisation is going to respect that, give them the support and maternity leave. “We are very supportive of our people, not just the musicians, but even the staff. We give three to six months. There are those that go and decide to return early, but the minimum is three months,” he explained.
Vinka planned to start her family during her planned leave after a year that saw her release 12 music videos; one every month and therefore, it did not affect her brand at all, according to him.
“The pregnancy, child birth and maternity leave did not affect her brand at all because there was already a planned break anyway. So, she used that break. Remember she had put out 12 videos the year before so it was hectic and expensive so we decided to take a year off. The clever thing was she decided if she was going to slow down, she should start a family. So, starting a family was her personal decision. The business decision was to slow down,” added Kyazze.