Ugandan female gospel recording artist, singer, and songwriter Julie Birungi has said she feels left out by her fellow singers.
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This comes after they failed to attend a concert she hosted on International Mother’s Day.
The artist had hosted the concert in Toronto and believes her absence was due to discrimination based on her personal life.
Speaking after the concert she titled “An Evening with Julie,” Birungi said she was hurt after the entire list of invited artists did not show up for the event.
The singer was forced to perform with only her children, Ezekiel and Esther.
Julie Birungi Feels Isolated From Fellow Singers
“You may be wondering why these artists are not here today; it’s because I am different in the way they see me as different,” explained Birungi.
Her statement may be referring to her status as being in a same-sex marriage after separating from her ex-husband and the father of her children.
” These are the people I called my friends. We used to laugh together, cry together, joke around, and support each other. But I was wrong,” she added.
The mother says she never needed the singers in the first place, but “in my heart I knew I had friends to turn to when I needed them. I think I was wrong.”
Birungi revealed that some of the artists initially made excuses for not attending, but later stopped answering her calls or messages altogether. She believes their withdrawal was not a coincidence but had to do with the way they viewed her.
“You want to love me secretly. I fail to understand. You are supposed to show love and spread love, but you discriminate against people like me,” she said.
She wondered where people like her should go, adding that the artists had confirmed in advance that they would attend but withdrew at the last minute, which she believes was due to their reservations about her marital orientation.
According to Birungi, preparations for the festival began last year, and he personally contacted all the artists he hoped to participate in the event, including Judith Babirye, Vivian Tendo, Jackie Ssenyonjo, and Mr. Samuel, among others.
Julie Birungi, formerly known as Julie Mutesasira, is the ex-wife of a pastor, who moved to Canada, where she later came out publicly about her relationship orientation and remarried.
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