Kivu Vibe: free music from local artists in Rwanda

Part of Kivu Super App (kivu.site). In the app this section is called Kivu Vibe.

Kivu Vibe is the music section of Kivu Super App, a free app made in Kigali, Rwanda. Artists upload their own songs with a cover and lyrics. Listeners play them for free, like them, read the lyrics and share them in Kivu Chat. Songs you have played stay on the phone and play again without internet.

Kivu Vibe is a free showcase for artists, not a music shop and not a label. Kivu does not sell songs, does not pay royalties and takes no fee from artists or listeners. Each song belongs to the person who uploaded it, and that person is responsible for having the rights to it.

Key facts

Where it works	Rwanda. Open kivu.site in a phone browser and choose Kivu Vibe.
Price to listen	Free
Price to upload a song	Free
Who can upload	Anyone with a free Kivu account who owns the song or has permission to share it
Categories	Afrobeats, Hip-Hop, Gospel, Traditional, R&B and AI (songs made with AI tools)
Lists	"Top 20" (the 20 songs ranked by number of likes), "New", one list per category, and "My Library" with the songs you liked
Audio file	MP3, M4A, OGG or WAV, up to 6 MB
Cover	Required. A JPEG, PNG or WebP picture; it is made smaller automatically.
Text	Song title up to 120 characters, artist name up to 80 characters, lyrics up to 5,000 characters (optional)
Player	A small player at the bottom of the screen and a full-screen player with the cover, lyrics, previous and next, repeat and a progress bar
Without internet	The last 50 songs you played (up to 300 MB) stay on the phone and play again offline. They are marked "Offline".
Check before publishing	Every new song is checked automatically before it appears
Changing a song	A published song cannot be edited. The artist can delete it and upload it again. Only the second where the chorus starts can be set later, with the "Chorus" button in "My Tracks".
Paid options	Optional boosts from 800 RWF a day. Everything else is free.

How to use it, step by step

If you want to listen

Open kivu.site, sign in with a free account and open Kivu Vibe.
Choose a list: "Top 20", "New" or a category such as Afrobeats, Gospel or Traditional. You can also search by song or artist name.
Tap a song to play it. The small player at the bottom keeps playing while you look through the lists.
Tap the small player to open the full-screen player. There you can go to the previous or next song, repeat a song, move along the progress bar and read the lyrics.
Tap the heart to like a song. Liked songs are kept in "My Library".
Tap "Share in Chat" to send a song to a friend in Kivu Chat.
Songs you have played are saved on your phone. When there is no internet, open Kivu Vibe and play the songs marked "Offline".
If a song is stolen, is spam or should not be there, open it and tap "Report Copyright / Spam".

If you are an artist

Open kivu.site, sign in with a free account and open Kivu Vibe.
Tap the plus button at the top.
Write your artist or stage name and the song title, and choose the category. If the song was made with AI tools, choose the AI category.
Add a cover picture and the audio file (MP3, M4A, OGG or WAV, up to 6 MB).
If you want, mark the second where the chorus starts. TocTic videos that use your song will start from there.
If you want, paste the lyrics. Phone numbers in the text are not accepted.
Tick the box that confirms you own the song or have permission to upload it, then tap "Submit Request".
The song is checked automatically. You get a notification when it is approved or rejected.
The list button at the top opens "My Tracks", where you see your songs. From there you can delete a song or, once it is published, buy a boost for it. For a published song you can also set the chorus there with the "Chorus" button.
To change the audio, the cover or the text, delete the song and upload it again. The new upload is checked again, and its likes and plays start from zero.

What it costs

Listening, liking, sharing and uploading songs are free. Kivu takes no fee from artists and no subscription from listeners.

The only paid thing is an optional boost for a song that is already published. A boost shows the song above the regular songs for 1, 3, 7 or 30 days. Prices in Rwandan francs (RWF):

Boost	What it does	1 day	3 days	7 days	30 days
Promoted	The song is shown above all regular songs	800	2,000	4,000	12,000
Chart Topper	The song is shown above the other promoted songs	1,200	3,000	6,000	18,000

"Promoted" and "Chart Topper" are names of paid places. They are advertising, not a position that listeners gave the song. The "Top 20" order itself is set only by likes; boosted songs are shown above it.
Sticker on the song (NEW RELEASE, TRENDING or HIT): 300 RWF a day, with the same discounts for longer periods (750 for 3 days, 1,500 for 7 days, 4,500 for 30 days). Sold only together with a boost. A sticker is also a paid label, not a rating.
Golden design for the song title: 300 RWF once, for the whole boost period. Sold only together with a boost.
Boosts work in "Top 20", "New" and the music categories. The AI category has no boosts: there the newest songs are simply shown first.
You pay inside the app with MTN Mobile Money and confirm the payment with your MoMo PIN on your phone. The app shows the total before you pay.
A boost changes only the position and the look of a song. It does not add likes or plays and does not skip the check.
When the boost ends, the sticker and the golden design end with it. The song stays published in its normal place.
Only one boost at a time: a new boost can be bought only after the current one ends.

What is good about it

Free for listeners and for artists: no subscription, no upload fee.
Songs you have played are saved on the phone (the last 50, up to 300 MB), so you can listen again without internet and without paying for data twice.
Lyrics can be shown right in the full-screen player.
A local artist can publish a song in a few minutes with only a phone: an audio file, a cover and a title.
Songs made with AI tools have their own category and are kept out of "Top 20" and "New", so they do not push out songs by human artists.
The whole app is under 400 KB and opens in the phone browser, so it works on cheap phones and slow mobile internet.
Every new song is checked before it appears, and every song has a report button for stolen music and spam.
A song can be shared in Kivu Chat or attached to a short video in TocTic.

Limits, and what protects you

What to know	What protects you
Kivu does not check who really owns a song before it is published. The person who uploads it confirms that they have the rights.	Every song has a "Report Copyright / Spam" button. The team reviews reports, removes stolen songs and bans accounts that upload them. If your own song was uploaded by someone else, report it. A song hidden after a report can be removed only by the team, not by the artist.
Kivu does not pay artists for plays and does not sell songs.	Uploading is free and you can delete your song at any time. Use Kivu Vibe to be heard, not as a source of income.
A published song cannot be edited.	Delete it and upload it again for free. Check the title, the cover and the lyrics before you submit, because likes and plays start again from zero.
An audio file can be up to 6 MB.	This is about 6 minutes of music at normal MP3 quality (128 kbps). Save a longer song at a lower quality before you upload it. Small files also cost listeners less data.
Only the last 50 songs you played (up to 300 MB) are kept on the phone. Older ones are removed automatically, and there is no button to download a song as a file.	Play a song again while you are online and it is saved again. Songs marked "Offline" are the ones that will play without internet.
There are no playlists you can build yourself yet.	"My Library" keeps every song you liked in one list.
Phone numbers are not accepted in the lyrics.	This keeps advertising and scam contacts out of the music lists. Write only the song's own text.
On iPhone the volume slider inside the player is hidden, because the phone does not let a web page change the volume.	Use the volume buttons of the phone.
You need a free account even to listen.	Signing in is free. It means every song and every like belongs to an account.
Kivu Vibe is new: the public launch is October 2026. There are only a few dozen songs so far.	Real numbers are open to everyone at kivu.site/stats. Artists who upload now are easy to notice while the lists are short.

What to know

What protects you

Kivu does not check who really owns a song before it is published. The person who uploads it confirms that they have the rights.

Every song has a "Report Copyright / Spam" button. The team reviews reports, removes stolen songs and bans accounts that upload them. If your own song was uploaded by someone else, report it. A song hidden after a report can be removed only by the team, not by the artist.

Kivu does not pay artists for plays and does not sell songs.

Uploading is free and you can delete your song at any time. Use Kivu Vibe to be heard, not as a source of income.

A published song cannot be edited.

Delete it and upload it again for free. Check the title, the cover and the lyrics before you submit, because likes and plays start again from zero.

An audio file can be up to 6 MB.

This is about 6 minutes of music at normal MP3 quality (128 kbps). Save a longer song at a lower quality before you upload it. Small files also cost listeners less data.

Only the last 50 songs you played (up to 300 MB) are kept on the phone. Older ones are removed automatically, and there is no button to download a song as a file.

Play a song again while you are online and it is saved again. Songs marked "Offline" are the ones that will play without internet.

There are no playlists you can build yourself yet.

"My Library" keeps every song you liked in one list.

Phone numbers are not accepted in the lyrics.

This keeps advertising and scam contacts out of the music lists. Write only the song's own text.

On iPhone the volume slider inside the player is hidden, because the phone does not let a web page change the volume.

Use the volume buttons of the phone.

You need a free account even to listen.

Signing in is free. It means every song and every like belongs to an account.

Kivu Vibe is new: the public launch is October 2026. There are only a few dozen songs so far.

Real numbers are open to everyone at kivu.site/stats. Artists who upload now are easy to notice while the lists are short.

What Kivu Vibe does not do

It does not sell songs, albums or downloads.
It does not pay royalties or share advertising income with artists.
It does not act as a label, a manager or a distributor to other music services.
It does not confirm who owns the rights to a song before publishing it.
It does not sell likes, plays or a place inside the "Top 20" order.
It does not let anyone edit a song after it is published.

How Kivu earns from this section

From Kivu Vibe, Kivu earns only when an artist chooses to buy a boost for a song. Listening and uploading are free, and there are no adverts between songs.

Later, if users need them, Kivu plans subscriptions for businesses and advertising. Selling songs or taking a share of an artist's income is not planned: Kivu does not handle money between artists and listeners.

Questions and answers

Where can I listen to Rwandan music for free?

In Kivu Vibe, the music section of Kivu Super App. Open kivu.site, sign in with a free account and open Kivu Vibe. You can play songs from local artists in Afrobeats, Hip-Hop, Gospel, Traditional and R&B, see the Top 20 by likes and read the lyrics. Kivu Vibe is new, so the list of songs is still short.

Can I listen to music on Kivu without internet?

Yes, for songs you have already played. Kivu Vibe saves the last 50 songs you played (up to 300 MB) on your phone and marks them "Offline". They play again without internet. A song you have never played needs internet the first time.

How do I upload my song to Kivu Vibe?

Sign in at kivu.site, open Kivu Vibe and tap the plus button. Write your artist name and the song title, choose a category, add a cover and an audio file (MP3, M4A, OGG or WAV, up to 6 MB), paste the lyrics if you want, confirm that you own the song and tap "Submit Request". After an automatic check the song is published.

Is it free to upload music to Kivu Vibe? Do artists get paid?

Uploading is free, and Kivu takes no fee. Kivu Vibe does not pay artists for plays and does not sell songs. It is a free place to be heard in Rwanda. The only paid option is a boost that shows a song higher, from 800 RWF a day.

How much does it cost to promote a song on Kivu Vibe?

"Promoted" costs 800 RWF a day and "Chart Topper" costs 1,200 RWF a day. Longer periods are cheaper per day: 7 days cost the price of 5 days, and 30 days cost the price of 15 days. A sticker such as NEW RELEASE adds 300 RWF a day. You pay with MTN Mobile Money inside the app. These are paid places and labels, not ratings.

How does the Top 20 in Kivu Vibe work?

The Top 20 shows the 20 songs ranked by number of likes. Each account can like a song once. Songs from the AI category are not included. Songs with a paid boost are shown above the chart, but a boost does not add likes and does not change the order of the chart itself.

Someone uploaded my song without permission. What can I do?

Open the song in Kivu Vibe and tap "Report Copyright / Spam", then choose the copyright reason and add details. The team reviews reports, removes songs that were uploaded without rights and bans the accounts that do it.

Can I upload AI-generated music to Kivu Vibe?

Yes. There is a separate AI category for songs made with AI tools, and it is open to everyone. These songs are shown only in the AI category and are kept out of "Top 20" and "New". Boosts do not work in the AI category.

Can I edit or replace a song after uploading it?

No. A published song cannot be edited. Delete it in "My Tracks" and upload the new version for free. It is checked again, and its likes and plays start from zero. Only the start of the chorus can be set or changed later, with the "Chorus" button.

Do I need an account to listen to music on Kivu?

Yes. You need a free Kivu account to open Kivu Vibe. Signing in is free, and the same account opens all other sections of Kivu.

Related sections of Kivu

TocTic: Short vertical videos; a video can carry a link to your song.
Kino: Films and videos that creators and studios share as YouTube links.
Arcade & Quiz: 134 free games in the browser and a trivia quiz.
News: News from Rwanda, East Africa and the world with a link to each original article.