A music producer, song writer and artiste, is presently working on a new genre of music which he calls electronic high life music. The graduate of Accounting talks about his passion for the arts in an interview
You are a graduate of Accounting, would there be a specific reason behind opting for music as a career?
The music industry for me is very big, though it all started because of the love and passion I have for it. I considered it as a bit of the corporate world but with the knowledge I was able to acquire in school, I discovered I could channel it into the music industry to apply the principles I have learnt into showbiz. This is what our Lagos talents are doing we need to go beyond our love for the talent to applying economics and some accounting to break in.
When did you go into music?
Music started for me way back just like everyone of us would say but when I was in primary school I was the youngest member of a band. I mimed a lot back in secondary school in different groups then it developed from passion to a more focused direction. I had a lot of groups in the university and I have produced some of them also I have some industry friends that I have been working with in the background like Styl Plus who from way back I used to write and produce for. My official first single in 2009 was a song StylPlus featured me in ‘Jekasere Lo’ but they had a problem with the marketer which really affected the album and my coming out.
So far, how well is that application working for you?
Nigeria is a very dynamic market, so many things are not predictable. It’s been good but it boils down to a good promo plan to have endorsements and I am still trying to be out there.
How many singles do you have now?
I dropped a single this year on the 26th of April, my birthday, I did one with Styl Plus, I write and produce for Tunde one of the members of the group as well and we dropped an RnB song ‘Omoge’ February last year. I also did a French song last November ‘Sele mama’ with a Cameroonian artiste Didibebe who I write and produce for as well and ‘Don come’.
You talked about having worked with other industry friends at the background?
The list is endless; X Project, Waje, OJB, Numero, Mecoyo, Mr Yaks, to mention a few. I have a project called cargo republic and we have recorded so many projects.
Being a musician, song writer, producer which is more challenging for you?
Combination of the whole of them because I need to keep up with the demands of the job. The problem of people accepting my ability to do numerous things has been challenging for me.
How would young rate entertainment generally in Nigeria?
With respect to how far we have gone in promoting peace, women empowerment and the educative, humanitarian part and entertainment part, we still have a lot of things to do so I would rate it seven stars over ten.
Three stars short means we have challenges, what are those challenges Abuja wise and generally?
The individuals who are in the industry and the market are the major challenges we are facing. Artistes in Abuja for example do not support each other, we don’t have people who are passionate and apart from the whole security issues, people in Abuja are very conservative though it doesn’t mean big shows don’t happen but artistes in Abuja are yet to benefit from these platforms because they have not been able to run promos like the Lagos people. We have a low level of sponsorship in Abuja, once you are not from a rich home it becomes difficult.
Unfortunately, Lagos which happens to be the hub of entertainment, piracy is the greatest challenge. The marketers are the pirates, you can imagine we do not have a choice to give them our CDs for peanuts but by the end of the day they would help you move your songs everywhere. I was happy when the Vice President came out to assure artistes that challenge would be dealt with in this government so there is hope and at the same time fear.
How can we get things right especially in Abuja?
The orientation in Abuja needs to change, we need to put our hearts into getting the songs out, go extra miles to get investors. We need to start a campaign to get people in Abuja channel some of their investments to artistes in Abuja, we need to unite to balance the equation. No matter how wack they want to make us feel we are, we should be given a chance to showcase what we have rather than always bring in only Lagos artistes to perform here in Abuja.
Do Abuja promoters not have a role to play in this?
We don’t really have promoters in Abuja. A few of them are trying to come up but they still need to learn so many things. A promoter is just one of the variables, most importantly we need investors.
How then can Abuja artistes get investors believe in what they have to offer?
Over the years we have been waiting for investors. It’s annoying to drive round Abuja and not see even one Abuja artiste endorsing any product. We need to meet the investors and talk to them to give us the respect we deserve. Lagos is exaggerated, the traffic situation alone want to make anybody go out from Monday to Monday so they prefer to wait till weekends but here in Abuja, Monday to Monday people are partying everywhere at one garden or the other to chill out and have fun.
How would you rate content in Nigerian music?
For now, I won’t say it’s bad even though all we hear is dance music. I am a writer I understand why people are writing the way they do. For example, there is fuel scarcity, there is always one problem or the other and the kind of songs we need to be listening to are not songs that should bring us down trying to remind us how bad things are but we need songs that would make us forget our troubles even though we are not exactly happy. People who market these music they all accept the songs we write but so many people do not know this part.
We have artistes who do not see the relevance of taking a step further academic wise?
If we have record labels that are willing to do what they are supposed to do to promote the songs and thinking of the economy of getting the songs out, the artiste wouldn’t have a lot of problem if he is educated enough but as an artiste, you need to acquire some form of knowledge. It mustn’t be that four year in the university, there are so many courses online. For example, I am undergoing an online programme and by the time I am done I would be a certified sound engineer. I was able to that as a result of a good friend who told me about it. It all boils down to all the individual bodies to organize workshops for their members because not everybody had the opportunity to go to school.
How deep was your involvement as the national PRO PMAN?
The problem with PMAN is priority. The guys who are in charge are so caught up with their own agenda and it’s wrong. No one has a problem if you are trying to chase a particular dream or philosophy but when you do it consider the general good of everybody. See little things like Abuja carnival, people who are in charge or people who are supposed to go for it they don’t go for it and now you see foreigners who come from Lagos and this is our carnival, even artistes in Abuja struggle to perform and even when they do they pay them peanuts. The name PMAN has been so bastardized they need to change the name, it is associated with failure. The cloud of the Abuja Governor who is working really hard cannot cover the darkness of PMAN.
