Page 68 - Future Leaders 2018-2019

10th Anniversary Special

SSEGAWA-SSEKINTU KIWANUKA
Music Artist PERRI SHAKES-DRAYTON
2009
Ssegawa featured in the magazine’s 2011-
2012 edition as our number one Future
2019
Leader. At the time he was undertaking
a PhD in Chemical Engineering and
Biotechnology at the University of
Cambridge. However, his career path
since graduating has been quite different
to what may have been expected. One
accomplishment tucked away right at
the end of his Future Leaders profile in
2011 which read: “…he also had a lead
role in Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer
Night’s Dream, which was performed at
the Edinburgh Fringe Festival” was a bit
of a giveaway for those paying attention.
These days, Ssegawa has definitely taken
his passion for performing live on stage
and run with it as a music artist who goes
by the name Love Ssega. Audiences were
introduced to him first as a featured artist
with Grammy award-winning chart-
topping pop group Clean Bandit, on tracks
Mozart’s House and Telephone Banking.
This relatinonship came about while at
Cambridge, as he formed a DIY classical-
dance project with fellow student Jack
Patterson, who later went on to create taking part in this year’s Musicians in 2:1. That same year (2011) she made history
Clean Bandit. Residence China programme, as part of when she completed a unique double,
In 2016 he released his debut solo set an ongoing PRS Foundation and British winning the 400m and 400m hurdles at
Minds EP (Hometown/Sony, which one Council initiative. He will spend up to the UK Trials, beating Olympic champion
critic described as channelling ‘a vibrant six weeks in China in autumn of 2018, Christine Ohuruogu in the process. The
mix of New Wave, 80s hip-hop and NYC collaborating with local artists, writing following year, she picked up a gold medal
disco into smart modern pop’. Regular new material and exploring new creative at the women’s 4x400 relay at the 2012
airplay on BBC Radio 1 and Beats 1 landed and professional opportunities. World Indoor Championships and another
him mentions in several ‘ones to watch’ two golds at the 2013 European Indoor
convos that year. In 2017 he released his PERRI SHAKES-DRAYTON Championships, in the 400m and 4x400m
second EP, Emancipation, the same year Athlete and TV personality relay. She also set a PB of 53.67 at the
streaming platform Tidal recognised him Perri appeared in the 2011-12 edition of 2013 Anniversary Games so that only Sally
as one of their ‘Tidal Rising’ artists – a the magazine as our number three Future Gunnell, among British women, had a
dedicated showcase for emerging and Leader that year. At the time she was faster 400m hurdles time.
independent artists. balancing her degree in Sports Science Unfortunately, a serious injury – damaged
It was recently announced that Ssegawa with her burgeoning athletics career, cartilage in the knee and a torn posterior
would be one of three music acts graduating from Brunel University with a cruciate ligament – which left her
unable to walk (she used crutches and a
wheelchair for a while) put a temporary
stop to her rising athletics career. She had
to take time out to recover and learn to
walk again. However, despite doctors and
physiotherapists setting her chances of a
full recovery at zero, she was determined
to get back on track (no pun intended) and
since she was told she would no longer
be able to do hurdles, decided to switch
to sprinting. By 2017, just three days short
of her four-year hiatus, she picked up a
silver medal in the 4x400 relay in the
World Championships. Then in 2018 she
competed as a member of Team England
in the 400m and 4x400m relay at the
Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games
in Australia, signalling that she was well
and truly back.
Outside of her athletics career, Perri has
put her bubbly personality to good use
and kept busy with a TV career, which has
SSEGAWA-SSEKINTU KIWANUKA included taking part in the 2017 popular
ITV series Dancing on Ice.

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66 FUTURE LEADERS 10 ANNIVERSARY EDITION