NET HQ in Lagos, the 25-year-old singer talks about his journey to fame through the Project Fame platform and his experiences during the music talent reality TV show.
Tell us about your new single 'Is Notin' I recorded it the first time I entered a recording studio. Before Project Fame, I was only writing songs but never had the chance to go into a studio to record any. So I was in the studio listening to a beat
by DJ Klem and what just came to my mind was 'Is Notin' and that was how the first few lines of the song came about.
It's your first single; how has the reception been
so far?
It has been encouraging. A lot of people like it and
I have been getting positive feedback.
People say that music talents from talent hunt
shows don't succeed in the industry, does that
scare you?
I am not scared because there have been a lot of
successful stories of music acts from talent hunt
shows. I believe I can be one of these successful
people. What I just have to do is work hard and do
my part. I have carried myself to this level, so I
don't see why I can't go further.
What is the next step for you after this new
single?
Before I think about releasing another song, I have
to first shoot a video for this new single. Any other
project has to be after I release the video of this new
single.
Tells us about yourself before Project Fame?
I grew up in Ibadan and I am the first of four children. I was just a normal guy that loved singing. It was during the Academic Staff Union of Universities strike last year that a friend advised me to go for any of these talent hunt shows. Initially I told him I can't go for such because I don't like
competitions but after a while I thought about it and decided to go for Project Fame. My friend Segun actually got me the Project Fame form, before I was invited for the auditions in Ilorin.
How did the audition go, were you picked instantly?
No, I wasn't even picked at the Ilorin auditions though I got to the second stage. It was a guy I met there that advised me to go for another audition in Ibadan. At first I was skeptical about it, telling myself that maybe it wasn't my time. When I got to the Ibadan audition, my number was after 600. I got
to the judge and he just said 'no, come back next year.' I got outside and got another number and tried making my way to another set of judges but the bouncers directed me back to the same judge that gave me a no. 'I thought I told you no the other time, why are you here again?' the judge asked
me. I told him I came back because I believed in myself. I sang my lines and he said yes to me. The second day of auditioning, I got three straight yes, and that was how I found myself in Project Fame.
Let's go back a little now. When did you start singing?
I started music as a hobby because I never thought I was going to do anything with it. It just started from me being interested in music and then when I joined The Redeemed Christian Church of God when I got to the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, I learnt how to play the keyboard and drum. I joined the choir also and that was when I started singing very well and people started noticing my talent. The passion grew stronger, but I didn't think I would take music as a career. I had a shop in school where I was selling and repairing laptop computers and phones and I thought I would probably be some sort of big computer store owner when I graduated from school.
What were your experiences in Project Fame?
Project Fame has actually helped me a lot. When I
was singing in the church, I was doing it for God
and was not particularly bothered about the response
of the audience. Project Fame taught me how to be
an entertainer and how to get my response from the
audience when I am performing. It was not easy for
me during my first performances; the first five
weeks were very difficult for me because I had
never had such experience before.
Did you think you could win Project Fame when
it started?
For me to get to that level alone was enough for me.
Considering the fact that it was my first experience,
I didn't expect to go far. Being there was enough for
me. I just wanted to enjoy myself and give my best
with every song and performance. When I won, I
was surprised.
Are you under any record label?
I am not under a record label; I won a one-year
record deal with MTN. I'm just under
M.e.tal which is a management company.
Who were your early music influences?
I listened to the likes of Ginuwine, Marie, Neyo,
and 2Face. It was mainly more of the international
artistes because most of Nigerian artistes were not
doing R&B.
How has life in the music industry been since
Project Fame?
I am at the experimental stage of my career now and
I am still getting to discover my style as an artiste. I
have been working with different producers to
discover who I really am as an artiste. Music is what
I love doing and the experiences so far have been
awesome. It is a blessing from God that I am where
I am now. The passion I have for music was so
strong and I knew something was going to come out
from it, but I didn't just know how it was going to
happen.
You are still experimenting, but do you have an
idea what you want to sound like yet?
What actually made me popular in Project Fame
was a Fuji song and performance I did. I discovered
that people liked it a lot. So I would love to have a
blend of Fuji sound and the R&B sound in my
songs.
How have you coped with the change of life since
Project Fame?
Not much has changed; I have to remain who I was.
People have been calling me and asking if I
remembered them and I wonder why they ask such
questions because Project Fame has not wiped my
memory. People actually expect me to be proud but
I see myself as someone who has not achieved
anything yet.
What do you hope to achieve in the music
industry?
I hope to first of all make my name popular in
Nigeria. I want a situation where people will hear
me sing and they will know it is Olawale. There is
nobody that will hear a Wizkid song and not know
its Wizkid because he has his sound.
Who do you hope to work with in the industry?
Tiwa Savage and Sound Sultan are the first to
come to mind because they are musicians I admire a
lot. I worked with Tiwa Savage during Project
Fame and it's something I would love to experience
again because we connected well musically.
Will we be seeing you do gospel songs as a church boy that you are?
I don't think so. This is my work and my service to God still remains no matter what. It is my profession and I am an entertainer so I will be doing stuff that will appeal to everybody despite their religious differences.
Have you met any 'Groupie' yet?
I have not really gone out a lot. It has just been
from my house to the studio, so I haven't met any
yet.
How do you intend to handle them when you
eventually meet them?
People who have been there have been handling it
so I can. I know it comes with fame, and the female
fans are very important to us, so I am going to tread
careful and with God's help they won't be a
problem.
Tell us about the prizes you won in Project
Fame?
I got a record deal, a car and N5M.
What did you do with the money?
My family supported me in a lot of ways during
Project Fame and I had to drop something for them.
I had friends who also went the extra mile to help
me, so I had to settle them also. The first thing I
bought with the money was a keyboard and I gave
my former keyboard to my younger brother.
Do your parents still have any doubts about you
becoming a musician?
I don't think they have any doubt now. They will
only have a problem if I don't go back to school and
finish my education, but I already told them I intend
to finish schooling and get my degree
in Agronomy.
Via: Thenet
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