Jiran Seyn

Ssentongo Jiran known professionally as Jiran Seyn is a Ugandan singer and songwriter. He started doing music professionally in 2021. He always had a passion for singing and dancing growing up despite his strict Moslem family background. He decided to finally follow the path his heart always desired as a kid, Jiran was united with his first guitar in a village called Ggangu in Wakiso Uganda. This led him into joining the Milege acoustic foundation to showcase and grow his skills after having acquired some musical knowledge.

Like any other project desires growth, he parted ways with the acoustic foundation after realizing he wanted to groom himself as a pop artist, something he could not achieve with the world music rooted acoustic foundation (milege).
He recalls making an album outside the label with “Lux” known as John Mary Mukisa from the bayimba academy then. The Nina Esuubi 12 track album had songs like Kupatana released in 2021 November.

Background information

Birth name: Ssentongo Jiran

Also known as: Jirans, FDz, Fair Deez, Sentos, J.Sentos.

Born: 13th Nov 1995 (age 29), Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

Genres: R&B and soul, Pop, Afrobeats, Afobeat and EDM.

Occupation(s): Singer, Songwriter, illustrator and voice coach.

Years active: 2021 – present.

Labels: None (current), Taban Records (former)

Life and Music career

Jiran Seyn was born Ssentongo Jiran on 13th Nov 1995 in Nsambya Hospital, Kampala Uganda. He grew up in a Moslem household with a brother and two sisters on a village called Ggangu in Wakiso. He attended primary schools; Happy Times and Seeta Parents. Jiran later had four high school years at the oldest school in East Africa (Namilyango College) before joining Kibuli Secondary School for 2 years. He was famous for his dance moves at Namilyango where he was crowned “Mr. NGO”, a title for the best dancer at the school, which he carried on for his last 2 high school years at Kibuli. Much as he had a passion for dance, he had a place for writing music and recalls writing his first song at the time, at the age of 14 even if the environment did not empower singers as much.

He grew up in a family that listened to folk and zoo. That did not stop his ears from finding love in the world of pop-r&b, dancehall, EDM. He enjoyed listening to artists like Sean Paul, Usher, Michael Jackson and Chris Brown on an individual level. In an interview at the Milege Festival screening session, Jiran said he officially started his singing career in 2021 following the purchase of his first guitar, putting his illustration career at a pause a year after his time at Makerere University.

2021 – 2025 Music Journey

For most of the time 2021 – 2025, Jiran recalls doing lots of free shows around Kampala as he learnt the craft of music. Vending music on his guitar accompanied by the instrument in his voice for some transport home and maybe a meal for the...