Producer who worked with late Tanzanian singer Irene Robert describes her final moments

Revered Tanzanian music producer Genius Jini, who, for the longest time, worked with gospel singer Irene Robert, has come out to speak on the troubling and unexpected developments that marked her final days.

Speaking in a video shared on his Instagram page on Saturday, March 21, 2026, just a day after her death, Genius recounted a series of encounters that left him deeply concerned about the singer’s well-being.

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He revealed that he first noticed something was off when he unexpectedly ran into Irene early one morning along the roadside.

He noted that her appearance immediately alarmed him, as she looked disoriented and unlike the composed and well-put-together person he had always known her to be.

Having worked closely with her on several gospel projects, including producing some of her well-known songs, Genius said he was familiar with her usual demeanour, making the encounter even more unsettling.

“One day, I met Irene Roberts on the road early in the morning, and she looked very disoriented; even her shirt was not properly worn. I know Irene well because I used to produce her gospel songs. For those who don’t know, I produced her song ‘Soldier’ and many others. She would often call me for advice and guidance on matters related to her music career,” he said.

He explained that after the brief encounter, he reached out to her later that day to check on her well-being.

Although she responded to his message, she avoided explaining what had happened, instead asking to speak about it in person.

“So when I saw her that morning, it really shocked me, especially because she is a gospel artist. I had just left the studio and was heading home. When I got home, I sent her a message asking how she was doing. She responded, but when I told her I had seen her looking disturbed, I asked if she was okay. She told me we would talk when we met,” Genius stated.

According to the producer, when they eventually met again, Irene appeared drastically different from the person he had known before.

He described her as unusually carefree and withdrawn from her previous personality, noting that she even expressed a desire to take alcohol, something he said he had never seen or heard her do before.

He added that she specifically asked for a strong alcoholic drink, which left him shocked given her background as a gospel artiste.

“When we met again, she was very different from the Irene I knew before. The first time I met her, she was very composed and confident, someone you could not easily approach with nonsense. But this time, she was very different. She seemed overly relaxed and said she was free, even mentioning that she wanted to take a drink. At first, I thought she meant juice, but later she specifically asked for alcohol, Konyagi. That really shocked me because I had never seen or heard of her drinking before,” he narrated.

Genius further revealed that during their conversation, Irene began narrating experiences that raised further concern.

She told him about an incident at a church where she had joined a choir in singing, only for congregants to later pull her down, an episode he said made him realise that she was not in a stable state.

The situation became more alarming when Irene disclosed that she had no place to stay, despite previously living a stable life and owning cars. Concerned for her safety, the producer said he offered her a place to stay at his studio as he tried to understand what she was going through.

“After that, she told me about something that had happened. She said that she had gone to church and joined a choir while they were singing, but people later pulled her down. That is when I realised something was not right. She also told me that she had no place to stay, which was surprising because she used to have a stable life and even owned cars,” he added.

While staying there, Genius said Irene began exhibiting more worrying behaviour, including making statements that did not seem consistent or coherent.

He added that she also mentioned being unable to access her YouTube account because she had forgotten her password, even though she wanted to upload new music.

“She asked me to give her a place to stay, so I took her to my studio and allowed her to stay there. While she was there, she started saying things that did not make sense. She also said she had forgotten the password to her YouTube account, yet she wanted to upload a song. I told her she could not access it because she did not have the phone that had those details,” he said.

The producer went on to reveal that some of her personal belongings, including her phone, were being held at a police station. Upon making enquiries, he was informed that Irene had previously been taken there while heavily intoxicated, prompting authorities to keep her items for safety.

He explained that as he continued to stay with her over the following days, her condition appeared to worsen, prompting him to seek help from a man of God who had also interacted with her.

According to Genius, the account he received from the religious leader mirrored his own experience, further confirming that Irene had been going through a deeply troubling period before her death.

“Later, I learned that her belongings, including her phone, were being held at a police station. When we went there, we were told that Irene had been brought in while heavily intoxicated, and that is why her items had been kept there. After staying with her for a few days, I noticed she was changing even more and saying very worrying things. That is when I contacted a man of God who knew her and had also spent time with her. When he explained his experience, it was very similar to what I had gone through with her,” Genius said.