 I went to India. My wife was sick, very sick. She had cancer. By the time she was in the hospital, I was like, maybe I'm going to lose her. I'm going to lose my wife, the love of my life. Of course, for the first day, it's a must, I have to get chapati and skumawiki. What about other foods, apart from chapati and skumawiki? Then yama choma. Mituro, you've tried Mituro? No. Ah, how? My girlfriend, who is my wife right now, say yes to me. She was like, yeah, we can start our relationship. That's a full start. What's up, my people? This is SP Mbaaz. I'm having a exclusive interview with an artist all the way from Kigali Randa, of course, a recording artist, a businessman, an entrepreneur, a father, a mentor in the music industry. Of course, I'm chilling with one and only Bruce Melody. Welcome to the story behind the tattoo with Silvakilo. My name is Silvakilo. We get a chance to feature artists, celebrities, media personalities, Kumawiki? You have a favourite meal. Of course, for the first day I have to get chapatti and skumawiki. What about other foods apart from chapatti and skumawiki? Mutura, you've tried mutura? How? It's my first time to hear that. Mutura, I'm going to try that. The sweet thing about mutura, you need to have mutura in the darkness. Why? It's very sweet when you have it at night. Why? It's because it's sweet, that's the sweetness. You have some Fedi, you have some Kachumbari and then you eat it at night. So you guys eat duckness. I don't get that, I don't get that. I don't get that, I have to try that. I have to try that. Yeah. Of course Kenya is rich with culture, entrepreneur, good music, good artist. I believe you as an artist always year to learn, to need to work, to inspire. Of course to push your music. This time here in Europe we've worked. How many tattoos do you have? Should I call this one? Is it to advance? Because this was a one-take tattoo. All my tattoos were one-take. I didn't go back. And I got this from India. I have to travel to India for tattoo. No, no, I didn't go there for tattoo. But when I got there, I thought that was the right time for me to have one. In 2017, I was here in Kenya. I told CalGraph, like, bro, I see your tattoos. He had new tattoos on both arms. I saw that and I told him, bro, I wish I can have one. But I think I need to think about it. Because this is my body. This is the only body I have. I don't have extra. He told me, I have a guy. I can call him the tattoo artist. And he called him. But by the time he was on the phone, I told him, yo, bro, no, no, hang out. I'm not ready. I'm not ready. So when I went to India last year, that's when I got these tattoos. What we can take us to about the tattoos. What is the tattoos about? Is there inspiration behind the tattoos? Now, when you don't see them clearly, you may think different things. But these are my daughters. This one is the first bone. Her name is Brita. And this one is Aya. That's her name. My real name is Itaewacho. My Kenyaranda name is Itaewacho. So this is Itaewacho Brita. And this is Itaewacho Aya, the last bone. And here there is pride. When you look at this, you may think of LGBT or something. But this is a different story. We'll get back here. And this is my story isn't over yet. It's not over yet. So as a man, I'm proud of my kid. But not only that, they are my only family. Like my truly family. They are my blood. So when I went to India, my wife was sick, very sick. She had cancer. And by the time she was in the hospital, I was like maybe I'm going to lose her. I'm going to lose my wife, the love of my love. I mean the love of my life. And I was like, I took a time to think of my family and think of who is really my family. So my family first is the wife who helped me to make a family. Secondly, my family is my kid. So at the time, I also thought of myself, my body. What else should I do with my body? Imagine like, if I'm going to die tomorrow, they'll carry me, put me in coffin and that's it. There's nothing else I'm going to use this. So I was like maybe to keep remembering this moment, to keep remembering what happened this day. I think I need something that will remind me forever. At least I took this time and think of myself, think of my family, think of what I'm going to go through after losing my wife. Thank God she's still there and she's okay. She's now healing. So I went to a tattoo guy, I told him that I want to have a tattoo. On my arm and he was like, what do you want? I went through the photos in the phone. I saw these two pictures and then I told him I need this first here. And I need something here that shows that I really, really, I'm really proud of myself and my family. And out of blue, I did know that stands for any other thing. I told him, I need something which shows that I'm proud of my kids. And he was like, you can put on pride because you will use it as an artist and all that. And we got like three more words but I saw this and I saw the design. I was like, yeah, I can have that. And this, by the time I made calligraph because when I started music everywhere, we were like, ah, it's just going to be there for a few years and then it will disappear like all these other artists. And I told them, yo, I'm still in it. And of course I'm here for more than 10 years. So this was the first tattoo I thought I'll put on myself. But now look the changes. This is even more bigger than this. Because this was the first thing I thought I'll put on my body when I think of tattoo. So that's it. That's my tattoos. This is my daughter and I'm proud of them. And my story isn't over yet, even now. Do you have any additional? Maybe something that has a deeper meaning? For these ones, I think I may say only that. Because if I don't like getting motion. I don't like getting motion. And when I'm talking about this. How was the motion when your daughter saw this, your wife saw this? This one was five years. No, no, she was six. No, no, she was seven. Now she's eight years old. And this one was three years. Now she's four. They just love me. Because they sometimes even feel special because they say to me like they called me papa. They speak French. They'll be like papa. These are the kids, fathers. They don't put their tattoos on their arms. Why? And I tell them, yo, me I'm an artist. I'm allowed to do that. There is some people who is not allowed to have tattoos. So they feel special and they like it. They will come back always to check on their faces. And I'm sure that one day they will grow up and they will never look this. They will never look the same on these tattoos. But I will keep this as a memory. I will keep this forever because this is my blood. And I don't feel like regretting anything because this is the only thing. I've made a lot of money. I've made a lot of hits. But I don't feel anything bigger than this. They're very adorable, I can see. But I'll share with them a cutaway of that. As well, do you have any additional tattoo? Any other tattoo? Oh, yeah. The small one here. It's 27, 12, 2000 and now. Don't tell me it was a wedding day. No, it's not. Do I look that old? It's not. But it's something like that. This is the day my girlfriend, who is my wife right now, say yes to me like she was like, yeah, we can start our relationship. So by this time I was really young, poor. But talented. She showed a vision, she showed a dream, she saw someone very aggressive. Let me be honest with you. She just laughed at me the way I was by the time. Because I was nothing. No fame, no money, no anything. No fame, no man. By the other side, for her, she was coming in a rich family. It was even crazy for some of my friends they were like, how, how, what did you tell her? How did you do this? What happened? You know, I just loved her. I approached her. I told her how I feel. And she was like, I have to take some time. But it took long. For you to convince her? No, no, no, for her to accept me. Yeah, because it took like a year, a year and a half maybe. Just waiting. Because I didn't have any other choice. I had to wait for more than one year. And then at this time she said, yes, let's do this. So, that's when my love story started. Just to ask you about now your tattoos. How much did you spend on your daughters tattoos? I don't like talking about money because some people take it seriously. But for this, I did it for myself. To be honest with my fans, I did not do this for you guys. I did it for my family. I did it for myself. That's why I'm going to say even the money. I spent more than 1000 USD on this. You know why? First of all because this is going to stay with me forever. And this is a meaningful art on my body. So, however much they could charge me for doing this at the moment I was ready to pay. What about your wife? It was the same day. I did this all of this and that. The same day. And you know this half? You see this is a half tattoo. She has the same to make it a circle. That's it. Maybe just to ask you as we wind up. Do you have any regrets having tattoos on your body because now I don't know what now your family will see how people will treat you? Which family? My family is here. I mean your parents maybe external family? Now I don't have any parent and the rest of the family they know that I love and that's okay. It happened a long time ago. Most of my family members like the siblings, the aunties, the uncles they know that I'm an artist since I was a kid. They were expecting this even before. They knew that I have to put this, the dreads there. I don't have any hearing. Why don't you have hearing? I don't know but I don't feel like having it. Whenever I feel like having it, I'll do it. But for now I'm good. I don't have one. Of course they say tattoos are very addictive. I don't know if you're planning to have next. When is your next tattoo? What is the next that you're going to have? Maybe my addiction is too slow because I don't feel like having any other tattoo. And maybe it's a matter of time. I'm just waiting to see if I'll think of having another one or maybe I'll get in the situation where I can think of another tattoo. Have you ever met maybe some of your fans having your tattoo? Your face on their arms, on their body? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I made one. No, no, two. One has Bruce Melody as my name and another one has Igitangaza. Igitangaza is my tag as well. So yeah, that's it. What was the reaction? It's crazy man, it's crazy. That means this love I have for my family there is some people out there have the same love for me and it's too emotional when you see that person you feel like I need to know you, I need to be a friend to you. I love people who love me. When I realize that this person loves me I don't know what happens. They open my heart and I feel like I need to love them back. Alright guys, you wind up now just to ask you maybe in future when your kids they grow up, they become big is it open for you for them to have tattoos? It's up to them. As a dad sometimes you have limits. Yeah, when they are above 18 I think they'll be free to do whatever they like to do because let me give you an example when I started music my parents were like they whole family were like no, you don't have to do music go to school we need you to be a doctor but now I'm an artist and they are proud of me so for me I feel like I can support my kids whenever they feel like they want to do something which is totally different from what I do I will support them because I know how it hurts. Let's please Just to understand you now of course you have a lovely wife I don't know if you have any plans maybe to have your wife tattoo? Half face? Yes Anything you can I planned that but she said no Why did she say no? She was like you have a like having our kids That's enough? Yeah and for her she doesn't like social media she doesn't like to be a peer she doesn't like that so being on my body is like being on social media because I'm always on social media so I totally understand how concerned and how she feels Alright thank you so much we've discussed with leading of course artists all the way from Rwanda this melody about tattoos she's very aggressive the tattoos are very inspirational just here to learn to share maybe a review to engage to the SPM bars viewers what do you think about Bruce Melody expressing love, showing love to his family by having tattoos of his lovely daughters it's something that speaks a lot to know this father's love love can never change your family always come fast what do you think about that as well you can let me know who do you want to see next on this amazing show kwa story of course the story behind the tattoo with Selvakiru always a vibe always amazing so much pleasure to have you on my show I'm so grateful hopefully when next time I'll see you I'll ask you if you've got a new tattoo and then as well when I'll have a chance to interview calligraph as well I'll remind calligraph about that that time you always wanted to have a tattoo now imagine only this took us this whole time to explain I imagine calligraph calligraph has a lot I believe it will take a day full day thank you for having me I appreciate and I love you so much guys skmbot