At the peak of her musical career, Grace Nakimera was easily the most recognizable artiste of her time. She was not only talented, but also a very hard worker.
The strength in her singing voice, the force behind her lyrics and her undeniable sex appeal quickly earned her a place as a most sensational and prolific singer and performer on the secular music scene. She had quite the following, before she suddenly disappeared off the secular music radar.
After years of what appears to have been a self-imposed hiatus, the proud mother, astute businesswoman and humanitarian recently returned on the music scene with a new release titled, “Anviriddeyo”, a literal U-turn from her old style of music which was characteristically energetic, upbeat and of highly sensual lyrical content.
The transformation was evident and it became clear that the New Grace Nakimera was not the same Grace Nakimera of before her break from the secular music industry.
“Nowadays it is different and I am much calmer,” she says. If you have listened to “Anviriddeyo” then you get a sense of what she means here. “If I am to do a song, it is the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and not ambition that I rely on- It is that musical consciousness that no one can put their finger on. I rely more on the Holy Spirit these days because He takes you to places you would not go to normally.”
So what exactly happened during the long musical break that caused this drastic transformation? Grace considers it the turning point of her life.
About two years ago, a series of health-related events occurred suddenly and in quick succession of each other, eventually deteriorating into a prolonged period of illness characterized by the sensation of an external constricting and paralyzing weight on her chest and medically inexplicable fainting spells.
Grace is unfazed by skepticism when it comes to describing the situation: “I was under a spiritual attack…witchcraft,” she says. “I almost lost my life as a result.”
While the situation of illness was bad in itself, the desperation from not being able to get a diagnosis was worse, and worst was the powerlessness that Grace felt, being the go-getter she is. For the first time in her life, she panicked as every passing day, it dawned on her that this time whatever she was fighting was more powerful than she was and therefore was beyond her ability to handle.
“I was fighting something bigger than me; something I could not see. I was fighting something that was way beyond me and the power it had had broken down all the power I had. Being the aggressive person I was, the go-getter with the everything-goes-my-way attitude, I was changed as I saw that I was powerless. My power that I had been working so much for; that I had been doing a lot for- was gone suddenly.”
She continues to narrate, “I then realized that I had to find someone or something bigger than the power that was fighting and attempting to kill me. I remember a day where I was seated somewhere and then this thing squeezed my chest and I could not breathe. I panicked while it sustained its hold on me, suffocating me further. I tried to call out for help but for some reason I just was not able to. It is when I called the name of Jesus that I found relief. Each time I called the name “Jesus”, the hold on me was loosed.
“That was when I knew that the biggest, greatest name, the ultimate power is in the name Jesus Christ. Every single time I said “Jesus”, this thing that held me like a big python around my chest let go and I said to myself “Oh, so there is power beyond this power!”
“It became self-evident to me that no one and nothing could fix this situation- to get the thing suffocating me off of me- but the name of Jesus. That was my turning point- I intensified my prayer- often going for hours in between the episodes of illness and fainting. Each time I prayed, I found relief and eventually, the suffocation let me go, the fainting spells let me go and I was set free. I understood very well that I had been given a second chance at life, and that is when I decided to accept Jesus Christ into my life and became born again.”
Meanwhile right around the same time, the other areas of Grace’s life had begun to crack and eventually fall apart. Right after she became born again, her marriage broke leaving her family all over the place. As if on cue her businesses, money and work followed suit and also collapsed.” As normally happens, many of her friends and even family disappeared from around her.
“But then also that was the same time that I had just found Jesus; while I had lost everything around me, I was happy, joyful and content in a way that could not be explained. I felt like I was naked from being stripped of everything I owned and cared for, and yet I also felt enveloped in warmth by Jesus Christ himself. I felt loved and cared for and a deep assurance that everything would soon be alright.”
Eventually, her businesses and finances did pick up again.
“Ever since I gave my life to Christ, two and a half years ago, I have been on the smoothest ride of my life. I wake up with the pleasant sensation of feeling covered, watched over and having someone go ahead of me. This is better than all the places that I have ever gone to and all the concerts I have ever been at. I am very fine financially- actually way better than I ever was before.”
“I am engaged to be married- God gave me a very good partner that loves and understands me. Even after that break-up of my marriage, I am loved and well-taken care of in ways I cannot explain. I am supper happy and the joy that has come with this salvation is not the fake ‘Hey, I’m cool man’. No, not that one. It is real joy and happiness. I see miracles happening and things unfolding daily so for me, this is the highest point of my life. This is the best time of my life.”
“I am still growing, learning as a Christian and still praying about a lot of things. I just hope that I serve God right and I make God happy in during this chance that he has given me to be alive. I know that had events taken another turn, I would not be here right now. So, I pray that I am better every day and serve God in the best way that He wants me to serve and make Him proud that he left me here for good reason. I am still making lifestyle adjustments from my past life. Having lived the party-hard celebrity lifestyle for over 15 years, it is not very easy to completely disconnect from that life; I still have friends there, and many are still skeptical at best and cynical at worst of my new lifestyle and choice to follow Christ.”
PS: The above story was first published in the inaugural Zabuli Magazine at last year’s Girl Get Up event in March 2020
