Madoxx finds love after bitter divorce

He has been at the helm of Lovers Rock, of love ballads in Uganda. He composed the songs while in love in Sweden, then he fell out of love, and out of Sweden, returning to Uganda to lead a hermit life. Well, Madoxx Ssemanda Sematimba is in love, again!  His songs were prophetic, for the reggae star has found his Namagembe, his Munnakyalo.

Madoxx And Nabanja

Namagembe is his song about a long lost and sought-for lover, while Munnakyalo is about his love for a village belle. Both songs suit the character of his new lover, Betty Nabbanja.  Theirs is a love story befi tting a romance movie script. They are Romeo and Juliet, who let love prosper against all odds.

Some of Nabbanja’s close relatives and friends did not warm up to her relationship with the then suffering Madoxx.

 How they met 

The couple met at the appropriately named One Love Beach in Busabala, owned by Bobi Wine. Bobi is Nabbanja’s brother. She is the daughter of John Sentamu (RIP). Nabbanja was a manager at the beach when Madoxx turned up as a hermit, seeking solace. That was during his period of recovery, which some people referred to as rehabilitation.

She took care of him, as he poured out his heart to her. They spent a lot of time together, as she took him on the highway to recovery. She relit his love ashes, becoming burning embers. Inevitably, they fell in love, and as they say, the rest is their story.  

When Madoxx was performing at the Club Beatz online show, and the host asked him if he had someone special at home. In a calculated tone, he replied. “Yes, she is called Honorable Nabbanja.” Many thought he was being the whimsical Madoxx that we have all come to know. No, he was not talking about Robinah Nabbanja, the Kakumiro District Woman MP, who also doubles as the State Minister of Health for General Duties. The only similarity between the two Nabbanjas is that they are both politicians as Betty is now eyeing the Gomba Woman Member of Parliament slot. But we shall stick to the love story for now.

 Made for each other 

Being in Madoxx’s life while in rehab, Nabbanja touched a soft  spot in his heart. He fell head over heels in love again and started a family with her. “Th ey have a pure chemistry. If you find them together, you can mistake them for friends,” a close friend told The Kampala Sun, adding that the couple has two children.

Those who have followed Madoxx closely have probably seen Nabbanja at some shows. She arrives with him, then takes pole place in the audience. While he performs, she seems to take in every word, for her attention is akin to a brain surgeon’s. That is what happened at the Madoxx The Legend show at Imperial Royale Hotel in 2017.

The table at which she sat was labelled as family.  From that point, Nabbanja’s face became a permanent feature at his performances. With dreadlocks reaching her waist, many assumed that she was a band member. But the residents of Kasubi knew better, for they had been seeing the two together before.  

Nabbanja’s education background Nabbanja graduated with a bachelor’s degree in music, dance and drama from Makerere University in 2008. She specialised in drama. 
“She was the brightest in our class. I oft en ran to her when assignments were tight,” says her former coursemate, who preferred anonymity because “she is a sister”.

He adds that her first employment was in an NGO, where she used to engage communities with a threatre approach.  

Madoxx performs at a concert

 Madoxx before Nabbanja 

He was a legend forgotten by the audience, written off  by music critics and allegedly consumed by alcohol and substance. The forgotten reggae maestro, who was plagued by misery and served a stint in prison, kissed ashes for years before getting back to his feet.

With a 10-track album titled Tukolagane, Madoxx wrenched many hearts, especially with the monster hit, Namagembe. But he lost it to a careless life that took a toll on his health and career. The story of Madoxx being separated from his children, who went on to adopt the name of their step-father, broke his spirit.

His Swedish wife, who was his manager and financial controller as well, pushed for a split that saw her secure 75% of the singer’s estate and sole custody of their two children. This is what is cited by many as the reason for his depression.

Madoxx’s next stop was drowning himself in alcohol and substance, a choice he should be regretting up to now. He had a spell of no gigs and lived a beggar’s life. Even the few gigs that came his way found him not ready; mentally, vocally and physically, hence a bad reputation that created a wide gap between him and promoters.

The final nail in his coffi n was in 2013 when the Police in Nakulabye, a Kampala suburb, nabbed him for being idle and disorderly. His arrest made headlines on Bukedde TV’s Agataliiko Nfuufu. The nation was shocked. Strangely, he was not apologetic nor did he condemn drug use.

He told the Police: “It (marijuana) helps my creativity.” That arrest looked like a televised crucifixion of Madoxx’s career.

New love. Nabanja nursed Madoxx back into great health

 Arrest was a blessing in disguise 

During his arrest, Maddoxx was carried away by the love he was shown and the feeling of being treasured brought him back to life. In the background, the likes of city lawyer Julius Kavuma Kabenge were key players. However, the game changer was in a person who would be around him and show him the way for most of his time. That was Nabbanja.

Suddenly, gigs started streaming in. He managed to get into the studio to try and make music. He was, however, “unpredictable, unstable and diffi cult to work with,” according to some of the musicians who tried to revive his talent.

“Sometimes you made an appointment with him, but he failed to honour it. If he came, he would demand certain things done his way or no way,” one producer, who preferred to stay anonymous, told New Vision then.

“He walked out on me several times. Sometimes I was not sure whether his agitation was a result of substance abuse or Maddoxx, being the perfectionist that he is, could not bear working with someone with a divergent view,” the producer says.

“True, Maddoxx is a perfectionist,” echoes Loukman Ali, a music video producer responsible for the video of Namagembe. “So, for me, I was patient. If he did not feel like working, we stopped immediately. All great people are hard to work with, so I have heard and read. I think it is because when you are very good at what you do, you do not trust others with your work. I guess if Madoxx was not like that, he would not have had the great music,” says Loukman.

With patience, Maddoxx started finding his way back to the performing circuit. Even without a new hit, the crowd showers him with love as they did in the past. With his latest online performance that has so far attracted 158,000 views on Facebook and 20,535 views on YouTube, one can say  the legend has got his groove back, thanks to Betty Nabbanja.