Tusker Project Fame II winner Esther Nabasa is finally in studio at South Africa’s Gallo Records to record her much anticipated debut album. There was worry among pundits that the ravishing beauty (seen here with her beau, Tony at last December’s Sizzlin’ Jazz Safari concert) would go the same way most of the reality TV show’s contestants had- into musical obscurity- since winning the competition’s grand Shs75m cash prize and becoming the first Ugandan to win a multi-country reality show.

Esther travelled to South Africa last week alongside her producer Tshaka Mayanja who was a judge on the show. The two will be holed up in Johannesburg until February 9 and Tshaka is particularly excited about the upcoming album especially following rumours that Gallo Records was finding a hard time scheduling Esther for a recording session. And being the person with a global musical outlook that he is, Tshaka is looking to producing an album that will cross borders hence his resolve to make it as diverse as possible. “Man the album is quite diverse! Rock, country, reggae, jazz, house and even local SA mbaqanga has been thrown in for effect,” Tshaka told Kampala One.

There are also of a duet with South African balladeer Ringo Madlingozi (of Sondela fame) increase the album’s chances of accessing record shelf space in South Africa, arguably the biggest music market in Sub Saharan Africa. Meanwhile Steven Oundo, the other bankable Ugandan hopeful on the show, is done with his album recorded at Steve Jean’s Fennon Records Studio and the headlining single is a killer single featuring one of the show’s  runners-up Kenya’s David Ogola.