The future looks bright for Ommy Dimpoz

What you need to know:

  • The singer, who underwent throat surgery last year has big plans in store for his music career

Ommy Dimpoz was under the radar for the most part of 2018. Social media had a field day following his departure from the social scene. Speculations were in abundance as to why the singer had gone on a hiatus. It later came to be known that Ommy, real name Omary Nyembo, was hospitalized in South Africa.

Soon after the news broke, messages of sympathy started circulating. Bongo flava fans felt personally touched by the singer’s ill condition. The voice which they had become so accustomed to was off the air for an unknown period of time.

The issue of Ommy being hospitalized and requiring surgery, was all that people in the entertainment industry could talk about. Some even got on the bad side of the crowd following statements made to media concerning Ommy’s condition. Movie actor Steve Nyerere was on the defense after he made remarks that were seen as bad omen in the Ommy situation.

The actor, who’s not new to controversy, was recorded saying that Ommy wouldn’t be able to sing again following his throat surgery. Social media was quick to react to Steve’s comments. People bashed him for what they believe to have been an ill-targeted remark on someone who needed all the prayers he could get.

Steve tried to clear the air but the damage had already been done.

Luckily, Ommy soon recovered. Even though he wasn’t on the spotlight as before, people were still glad that he made it out of the surgery room intact.

The road to recovery had now began. Ommy was now faced with an uphill battle of regaining his former strength and status in the music industry.

Speaking to The Beat, the legendary Bongo flavor artiste said that his lifestyle completely changed after the surgery. He revealed that even his eating habit has changed because of the illness. “These days I eat more fruits, bread and tea, even the food potion has become smaller,” he said.

The singer’s health problems started with what was believed to have been a throat infection. He was later hospitalized and required to undergo surgery in South Africa. In June 2018 surgery was performed and he continued treatment. Another surgery was required, this time the artiste had to go to Germany for the second surgery which was performed in December 2019.

After returning to Tanzania, anticipations were high as to the singer’s bongo flava career commencement. Prior to falling ill, Ommy had released a number of hits. From his earlier days in the industry, up until he signed with South African record label Rockstar 4000, Ommy had maintained his status in the music industry.

His recovery saw him release a song titled ‘Ni wewe’. This song, unlike his previous tracks, was a praise song thanking God for helping him through the tough period in his life. Ommy touched on how God was merciful to him and helped him survive a life scare.

The song was met with positive reviews from music pundits and fans. Though different in taste from his usual songs, ‘Ni wewe’ still managed to rub fans the right way. This marked a road to recovery for one of Tanzania’s most prolific singers.

Currently, the singer is making headlines with his new song titled “You are the best”. This song is a return to the ‘old’ Ommy whom we all came to admire as a musician.

The song in one among his new projects since his recovery. “My new project is doing well since I introduced it. I am thankful to my fans because they patiently waited for my recovery and now they’ve given me a warm welcome,” he said.

The musician who looks to regain his former glory is amazed by how Tanzanians have stood by his side from the beginning.

“I am glad that I have now recovered. I look forward to giving my fans what they’ve been waiting for for a long time. I am also grateful that I didn’t lose any fans during the period I was sick, but to the contrary, I actually got more people to support me through the adversity,” Ommy reveals.

He further thanked his fans for the prayers they had for him. He believes that it is the positive energy from his fans and everyone else that enabled him to pull through.

Coming from a poor background, Ommy was required to work hard for his success.

“People who think I am from good family background are highly mistaken,” he says, adding, “I have lived all kinds of lifestyles. My mother died when I was in standard 3, I didn’t have a permanent roof over my head nor someone to pay my school fees.”

“I used to go to my uncles and aunty asking for school fees, I have lived in most of the slums you know in Dar es Salaam,” says Ommy.

He further says he wishes his mother were alive to see the kind of man he has become.

Ommy also shared his two cents on the whole censorship situation that has become all too common in bongo flava.

“It is not a must that we have to record videos with naked women, we can shoot decent videos that are not filled with nudity and still do well in the market,” he said.

“It is becoming a tradition nowadays for musicians to pose with half-naked women in their videos. This goes against our morality, we should respect our way of living because many young citizens look up to us [artistes] and they copy what we do and what we portray in our music videos.”

Ommy has a long road ahead of him as he looks to regain his stature in the music industry. The two songs he has so far released are a sign of what more is to be expected from the East African artiste.