Music Review: Sala Pulesa By King Saha

Hard to tell, really – it has about 2.6 million views on YouTube, and may be his biggest mainstream hit. He also managed to make the song title a catch-phrase within city lingo, and that is saying something.

The song dropped around 2017, and I was curious enough about the phrase to look it up, especially since King Saha was once touted as the heir apparent to Dr. Jose Chameleon. I never really felt like this was an accurate prediction – they both have a penchant for that ‘Kololo airstrip’ beat, but they have stunningly different voices, and differing types of charisma.

Saha must have been chuffed to find his song spawning a catch phrase in the nation’s capital, from the stalls in Owino Market to the gardens of Sheraton, which is where I first heard it while setting up an event. Sala Pulesa has that curious aspect to it that Saha often instills within his songs, that focus on his vocal delivery. He holds his highs surprisingly well.

The song has a cheerful buoyancy to it, and alongside it’s simple and catchy hook, it is easy to see why ti caught on so well.

Sala Pulesa is not the song that announced King Saha, but it maybe the song that confirmed his ‘big boy’ status in Uganda’s music industry.