Gongo Aso made you a household name in the industry. How have you been able to maintain this?
I have done nothing extraordinary; it is just the same thing that applies to other artistes who are still respected in the industry. Once you believe in a definite idea or formula you should stand by it and remain faithful to it. It might not be rosy and seem bad sometimes, but it is always good to stay true to that formula. Like your paper, you cannot change the name Saturday Telegraph because things are not going well. You believe in what it stands for through the thick and thin, and Saturday Telegraph remains Saturday Telegraph.
Why did you recently shoot the video of Life is Beautiful featuring 2face after many years of its release?
You see when we released the double album we faced a whole lot of problems. The album is supposed to come in four packages where we would have the limited edition that comprises videos, the double album, some documentaries about 9ice and the jazz version of my old and new songs. But there was a delay because of the things we encountered.
So, we had to release just the regular album and left the videos there because we were still hoping that things will materialise soon. When I see that things didn’t turn out the way we wanted it, I just said to myself that we should start releasing the videos for people to enjoy. The reception we’ve received after the release of the video of Life is Beautiful is fantastic.
I was afraid that people won’t embrace or appreciate it considering the delay, but I was proved wrong. That is why I said once you believe in something you should stay true to it because it brings about quality in your music, followership, among others.
How come you are yet to reproduce another hit since 2008 after Gongo Aso’s release?
That achievement is not mine, it is by the people. It is the acceptance from the people that made the song a super hit. What you do as a musician is just to go to the studio and record a song; you can never tell the outcome of that song or if it would be a hit. Any musician who tells you that he knows a hit song when he sees one is telling lies.
So, I cannot lay claim to the impact Gongo Aso made in showbiz. I just recorded the song like other songs I had done and it happened to be a monster hit. But I still have other songs that are equally good and enjoyed massive airplays.
Some say you’ve lost the voice that made your earliest music awesome. What would you say to that?
When I released my first album I was probably 25 years old and I am now 35. That is 10 years difference; you cannot expect me to be the same forever. Some people grow in voice while some people grow in size. I am not the same person I used to be at 25, so many things have changed. I have seven albums now.
Do you plan to release any album soon?
Right now, we are working on songs after songs. If we don’t come out with an album this year, it would be next year by God’s grace. For now, people should be expecting the videos of the singles I just released, including Sugar, Agbawabura, Ogara, among others. We would be releasing the videos one after the other.
At the last elections, you unsuccessfully ran for the House of Representatives in your hometown (Ogbomosho). Were you disappointed?
It depends on the motive behind one’s decision to go into politics. If it were to be a do or die affair thing, I would have been throwing knocks the moment the question comes up or feel terrible about it. I didn’t go in there with the intention that I must win because it is either you win or lose in politics. And if you lose, you should keep trying.
Until the recent elections, President Muhammadu Buhari had tried to be the president like three or four times. At a point, he even said he would never run again but he still did and now he is the president of Nigeria. I won’t stop trying and if it is the will of God, things will work out well for me some day.
What would you say worked against you?
I don’t think anything worked against me, but it was a tough one considering that I am based in Lagos and competing for a position in my hometown. I later realised that many people had gone home from Lagos to deceive the people. They told them many things and didn’t later fulfil them. So to people at home, it was like one of those liars had come again to play tricks on us.
I think that was the major problem. It was like there was nothing they had not heard before. When I talk to them they know where I am headed to because they’ve heard the same stories from other people. It takes some time for one to gain all those beliefs and trust again.
Why did you go into politics?
I have always had that background in politics and things that have to do with our daily lives. I wanted to be a lawyer and I worked towards it; music was just by the way for me those days. Things that have to do with people are the things I hold in high esteem while I was growing up. I have always been a serious-minded person; music just happens to be what would pay the bills and it is actually paying the bills.
You’ve had several controversies reported in the media, including a fight with your producer and friend, ID Cabasa. How is your relationship with Cabasa now?
We are still fine and everything is working fine. There has never been time we were separated. The attention created by the media and the noise is just one of those things that happen in life. For me, I just thank God for the intimacy and the bond we shared because if not for that things won’t be the way they are now.
Have you ever thought of infusing more English language in your songs to serve a larger audience, especially the non- Yorubas?
If you listen to my music from time to time, I always use a little bit of English. For me, once I start speaking too much of the language, it means I am gradually deviating from who I am. I am someone who keeps to people and what I represent.
How would you describe Spydaman’s new music video featuring Cynthia Morgan and Ali Baba?
I haven’t seen the video; I hope to see it by the time it is premiered. But my expectation is high because going by the name, Telephone Lies, we all tell lies one way or the other on the phone. I desire to hear what they would talk about and how the video director interprets the video to the public or viewers at home. So, I cannot just wait because of the topic; it is catchy. Even you as a journalist I won’t be surprised if I found out you’ve lied on the phone today.
