BACKGROUND
My life as a little child was adventurous andgrowing up was fun. For me, growing up in SouthWest Nigeria and being the last child in a family offive where I was given extra care, freedom andexposure, especially to music, often gives me fond memories of my background and also shaped mypath and my choice of music. I was basicallysurrounded by older people who love music ofdifferent genres and categories. I remember myfather used to have a stereo then where he playsmore than 1000 records from his archive ofdifferent artistes and musician. For example, heplays Mariam Makeba, Brenda Fassie, Lucky Dube,Soweto Acapella group etc..these from SouthAfrica. He play Youssou Ndour from Senegal.Really, I don’t understand these people’s languagebut their songs are usually pleasing to my ears.
I could recall I had started writing and composingmy own songs at a tender and it was from mySecondary School days that I started going tostudio to see how songs were being recorded.
My life as a little child was adventurous andgrowing up was fun. For me, growing up in SouthWest Nigeria and being the last child in a family offive where I was given extra care, freedom andexposure, especially to music, often gives me fond memories of my background and also shaped mypath and my choice of music. I was basicallysurrounded by older people who love music ofdifferent genres and categories. I remember myfather used to have a stereo then where he playsmore than 1000 records from his archive ofdifferent artistes and musician. For example, heplays Mariam Makeba, Brenda Fassie, Lucky Dube,Soweto Acapella group etc..these from SouthAfrica. He play Youssou Ndour from Senegal.Really, I don’t understand these people’s languagebut their songs are usually pleasing to my ears.
I could recall I had started writing and composingmy own songs at a tender and it was from mySecondary School days that I started going tostudio to see how songs were being recorded.
ABOUT WHICH ARTISTE INSPIRED ME MOSTGROWING UP
I can’t really point out from the plethoramusicians I grew up listening to numerousmusicians and artistes. In fact, I didn’t evenmention many names.
WHAT A NEW YEAR MEANS TO ME
I really will say a new year gives Meelano achance to assess and evaluate his previous works,to improve on my efforts and also to continue inmy quest to achieve limelight and to increase theaudience listening to my songs in order to achievea wide coverage and put my songs on the globe.
ON WHETHER I SET OUT TO BE A MUSICIAN
I found out that music for me was easy and aplayful thing that I enjoyed so much. Making it mychoice wasn’t difficult because of my backgroundof it. Since its what I enjoyed doing freely, thenhow about getting paid to do it?
ON THE MOMENT THAT MADE MUSIC THE WAYFORWARD FOR ME
I could recollect that I used to go to see studiosessions in my secondary school days. So, therewas a particular artiste in the studio that day, thatwas working on a song, he couldn’t pitch aparticular part of his song and Damcool, the studioproducer asked him to change the line. Myself,observing and singing along, in my childishnesssang the part well. They both later concluded thatI sing the line. It came out well and they wereboth impressed.
ON WHY ITS DIFFICULT GETTING INTO THEINDUSTRY
Aside the financial aspect or sponsorship whichwe all know music is capital intensive, and thatstructure in itself has not been put in place, theindustry overtime has been going through variousdispensation and trends. This in particular hasmade it difficult, not only for a rising artiste butalso for the popular ones because a new artistebreaking into the system ushers in trends anddynamism which may likely shake things up a bit.
ON WHAT I LEARNED EARLY ON IN MY CAREERTHAT MADE ME A BETTER ARTISTE
I discovered that music as an art requires that yousocialize and get yourself involved. Also,mentoring makes it way easier, that is, workingwith someone who’s already been there. Theexperience, the shows, the collaboration, workingwith different producers, relating with audienceand fans, traveling, pop culture, fashion, etc. It’s awhole lot than one can handle. A player needs acoach and a strong team.
ON THE NEXT BIG MALE ARTISTS I’MCURRENTLY OBSSESSED WITH
I am really obsessed with Meelano, his new worktitled “back in the days” and a lot more from himto come. (Smiles)
ON THE ONE THING I WOULD CHANGE ABOUTTHE MUSIC INDUSTRY
There has to be something called a market scaleand structure. A song in itself should be valued,scaled and be judged rightly on whether it willbreak into the market and how well it will bereceived by the audience when properly promoted.
HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED SITUATIONS WHEREYOU FEEL YOU WERE TREATED A LESSER ARTIST
I really don’t get treated less but when it happens.People applaud and give me thumbs up after myperformance and when they listen to my song.
WARDROBE STAPLE FOR ME AT THE MOMENT
One jeans, one shirt and that same shoe, everydayman dey hustle(jokes). Really, I love em stripped jeans, freshsneaks and dope round necks…(winks) Just something light (Laughs)
ON IF I’M DATING SOMEONE AT THE MOMENT
’m so much in love and I don’t think we gonnabreak up anytime soon. And that’s just me, myselfnd my music(laughing out loud)
ON WHO WOULD BE MY DREAM ARTIST TOCOLLABORATE WITH
A lot, a lot. I’d love to work with many greatartistes in Africa and abroad too. I would love towork with the likes of Akon, Asa, Wizzy, Casper,Emtee, the duo of Peter and Paul, Timi Dakolo,Sarkodie, R2Bees, OBO, Olamide, Patoranking,Runtown just to mention a few. I’ll like to workwith numerous artistes on the foreign scale too, ifGod gives me the grace.
ON WHAT LEGACY I WANT TO BE REMEMBEREDFOR IN THE NEXT 10-20 YEARS
Like I said, if God permits. 20 years from now,Meelano is already a household name, one of thebiggest and highly respectable musical icon innot just the history of Africa, but in mathematics,Chemistry and Physics of Africa too(Laughing)
ON WHAT INSPIRED MY NEW SONG, “BACK INTHE DAYS”
When you’re yet to get something done, peoplepass a lot of comments but when you show them,the same people applaud you and want more fromyou. So my experience across these times mademe sing the song, back in the days.
ON WHAT CHALLENGES I FACED WHILSTRECORDING AND HOW I OVERCAME THEM
I’m just grateful because its usually challengingmoving around in Lagos and doing recording, youget stuck in traffic, you rush to meet up sessions,rehearsals etc but I overdraft it all because this iswhat I choose.
DO YOU THINK AFRICAN FEMALE MUSICIANSNEED TO WORK HARDER THAN THEIR MALECOUNTERPARTS FOR THE SAME RECOGNITION.
Working hard shouldn’t be male specific, musichas no concern about gender. If you work, you willdefinitely get the results of your hard workirrespective of your language, gender, culture orbackground.
ON WHAT I DO IN MY LEISURE TIME
My leisure? Hmmnn…I hang out with my friends, I love video games,football and then back to studio again
ON WHAT I WANT OUT OF 2019
h…I want this year to be my break out year, my ownyear of joining up with my colleagues at the topand beginning to garner attention, fans, shows,tours and a whole lot of movement, drop a couplesongs more and go to improved on it by the turnof every year.. So that I can finally buy my mamaa big house(Laughing).
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