Allan Toniks believes that a major issue facing Uganda's music industry is the tendency of local fans to prioritize and hype foreign artists over homegrown talent. He attributes this to a "mindset problem" and possibly a sense of self-hate, stating, "Maybe we have a bit of self-hate."
During a recent interview, the singer, whose real name is Allan Ampaire, used Nigerian teenage artist Qing Madi as an example. Despite being relatively unknown in her own country, she managed to pull a large crowd at Lugogo's Zoe Grounds earlier this month. In contrast, Ugandan artist Gravity Omutujju had a poorly attended concert on the same night in the same area.
Toniks expressed his confusion: "How can this girl, who can’t even perform at a bar in her own country, draw more people here than a musician who has been in the industry for years?"
He believes that Ugandans seem culturally programmed to prefer foreign artists over their own. Toniks also shared an anecdote about a Ugandan music producer who, when abroad, claims to be from Kenya to avoid potential embarrassment if people investigate what music is trending in Uganda.
Toniks warned of the declining quality of Ugandan music, which he believes is due to the shift from traditional media like radio and TV—which once maintained strict quality standards—to social media, where there is little control over what reaches the public.