BusinessDay 04 Feb 2018
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Sunday <strong>04</strong> <strong>Feb</strong>ruary <strong>2018</strong> BD SUNDAY 37<br />
Entertainment<br />
C002D5556<br />
‘The creative industry needs more<br />
support, access to better equipment’<br />
Adolphina zazi idodo A.K.A “ZAZI” born June 6th, 1996 hails from delta state, southern Nigeria. A University of Benin graduate,<br />
the rapper known perhaps for her “kimmed lil kim hip-hop style and also her controversial patterned lyrics centred around<br />
her personal life. In this interview, with Ifeoma Okeke, she speaks on her experience as a young lady in the music industry.<br />
What inspires you?<br />
My life in itself<br />
is an inspiration<br />
for me; the only<br />
inspiration I’ve<br />
gathered actually. Basically, I’ve<br />
found myself in situations, good or<br />
bad and when I do, I put it in a song<br />
or poetry; whatever the case may<br />
be. So everything you hear in my<br />
songs, except the ones that sound<br />
so basic because I sort of free-styled,<br />
are things that happened to me<br />
for real.<br />
How has it been coping with<br />
the profession, knowing that rap<br />
is mostly dominated by the male<br />
folks?<br />
The gender doesn’t matter to<br />
me; it all depends on what you’re<br />
bringing to the market. And quite<br />
frankly, I like the fact that the males<br />
have the most of it, because it makes<br />
it easier for me to work and also<br />
stand out. People want to hear you,<br />
to see if it matches what they have<br />
out there, and when you beat their<br />
expectations, they want to hear you<br />
even more.<br />
It’s challenging no doubt, but I<br />
do not fret one bit. I believe I am<br />
equal to the task. I’m a controversial<br />
artiste, so it’s quite challenging<br />
getting people to understand how<br />
I write without reading the wrong<br />
meanings to it. Another challenge is<br />
my family not being in total support<br />
of my music, except for one of my<br />
brothers. So basically everything<br />
just falls on me. Sometimes I have to<br />
travel for shows without having to<br />
let my folks know because it would<br />
cause a fight and when they even-<br />
tually do know, it causes an even<br />
bigger fight. Things like that tend to<br />
affect me psychologically. I’ve had<br />
experiences where I’ve been beaten<br />
mercilessly by my parents a couple<br />
of times because of my music, but<br />
still I don’t relent, because I’ve seen<br />
it all and I’m certain of this success.<br />
I know my family’s support is<br />
everything and it hurts me that I<br />
don’t get that. But I’m not the first<br />
person who never had support from<br />
their folks but still scaled through.<br />
It’s just one more reason to press<br />
forward. It’s also challenging getting<br />
sponsors or investors at this starting<br />
point and so all the financial implications<br />
are on you. I do not have a<br />
major source of income, so it’s quite<br />
hard having to put in money to<br />
make things work, especially when<br />
you know that you MIGHT not get<br />
the reward instantly. There have<br />
been more challenges, but those are<br />
just the major glitches right now.<br />
Where will Zazi be in the next<br />
10 years?<br />
In the next ten years, my goal is<br />
to be a global brand, to inspire a lot<br />
of people and help them achieve<br />
their dreams. Sometimes I feel a lot<br />
of peoples destinies are connected to<br />
mine; I have to make it so I can help<br />
those ones as well. 10 years from<br />
now, I see people calling my name,<br />
jamming to my music and being inspired<br />
by me. 10 years from now I’ll<br />
be in big shows, grabbed great and<br />
wonderful awards and my family<br />
would be proud.<br />
You started from a very young<br />
age, what is your advice to other<br />
young women who aspire to succeed<br />
in life?<br />
My advice to young ones, not<br />
just to the female folks is never to<br />
give up. Do not allow the fear of<br />
failure stop you from achieving<br />
what you truly want. It won’t be<br />
easy for starters, but the end result<br />
is usually worth it. Nothing good<br />
comes easy- you just have to keep<br />
pushing.<br />
How do you think the government<br />
can help groom talents like<br />
yourself and grow the entertainment<br />
sector?<br />
As well as many other important<br />
things, I think the government<br />
should also pay attention to the<br />
creative industry, investing in it,<br />
so people like us can get access to<br />
better equipment and all; organizing<br />
programmes so young ones can<br />
display their talents and get potential<br />
investors. Increase marketing<br />
of brands to the global stage and in<br />
turn ROI from digital sales is major<br />
and not marginal. The government<br />
has been immeasurably supportive<br />
within the last few years, for instance<br />
during the former president<br />
Jonathan’s regime, a lot of money<br />
was pumped into the entertainment<br />
industry and it was really<br />
wonderful.<br />
How are you looking at improving<br />
yourself beyond where you are<br />
currently?<br />
I’m hoping to build a better<br />
network as time goes on, meet new<br />
people and the ones who would<br />
help me grow. Work on new songs<br />
with beautiful contents, reading<br />
more about artistes -present and<br />
past- so I can know what to and<br />
what not to do. I’m also trying to<br />
save more money so I can keep<br />
pushing my content.<br />
Can you mention some songs<br />
and poems you have written and<br />
the inspirations behind them?<br />
There are quite a lot but I will<br />
mention a few. I have a track titled<br />
“Little piece of heaven.” I wrote<br />
that when I was still in Uniben in<br />
my final year. I fell in love with<br />
someone who was in his first year;<br />
I really wanted the relationship<br />
but the person was sceptical and<br />
that pushed me to write about it.<br />
The song was supposedly meant to<br />
get a positive response so we could<br />
make the relationship official, but<br />
things somehow still did not work<br />
out. “Onyinyechukwu” was written<br />
as a 2-year anniversary present<br />
to my ex-lover who travelled out<br />
and I probably wouldn’t be seeing<br />
anymore. We were still together<br />
when I wrote that song, but now it’s<br />
all dust and ashes. I’ve also written<br />
poems like “I salute you,” which was<br />
as a result of thinking back in time<br />
and wondering what a cruel world<br />
we find ourselves, where the rich<br />
get richer and the poor extremely<br />
poorer and used as slaves.<br />
Simi, Praiz, Adekunle Gold headline largest live music concert<br />
MABEL DIMMA<br />
Three of Nigeria’s A-list<br />
music artistes are set to<br />
headline the biggest outdoor<br />
live music concert<br />
ever tagged, ‘100% LIve’ at Muri<br />
Okunola Park, Victoria Island on<br />
<strong>Feb</strong>ruary 18, <strong>2018</strong>, when the concert<br />
makes its debut.<br />
100% Live will feature the best<br />
alternative and mainstream music<br />
in a carnival-like atmosphere,<br />
promising music lovers an unforgettable<br />
experience and the raw<br />
passionate energy that live music<br />
brings.<br />
Backed by a full complementary<br />
band and performing all their hit<br />
songs: Simi, Praiz and Adekunle<br />
Gold will bring their magic on stage<br />
in an intimate evening of relaxed<br />
fun, with plenty of food, drink and<br />
banter so revellers can soak up the<br />
tunes, sun and fun, indulging all<br />
their senses.<br />
“Before recorded sound was<br />
invented, all music was live. Today,<br />
people listen mostly to recorded<br />
music. Still, the experience of a live<br />
music performance cannot be compared<br />
with one cooked in a studio,”<br />
said Adenike Odutola, Project Coordinator,<br />
100% Live music festival,<br />
while addressing the media.<br />
“Too much tweaking can make<br />
for soulless, boring music, which is<br />
why we want to delight music fans<br />
by bringing them in direct contact<br />
with the artists in an unfettered,<br />
relaxed and unedited setting; enjoying<br />
and experiencing real music<br />
in all its untainted glory,” she said.<br />
According to the organisers,<br />
100% Live will be void of backtracks<br />
and DJ support as the musicians<br />
belt out their hit songs.<br />
Simi, a headliner of the music<br />
concert and one of the top singers<br />
who had a remarkably successful<br />
2017 expressed excitement for the<br />
event, saying, “We can all use a little<br />
break now and then to get away<br />
from our lives.<br />
“100% Live is not the conventional<br />
way of experiencing music<br />
and actually being in the presence<br />
of all that raw energy of a<br />
live performance can’t compare<br />
to anything. It is truly about the<br />
memories created, the fun, new<br />
friends and beautiful experiences.<br />
I really can’t wait!<br />
“In a clime where great and soulstirring<br />
music and performance is<br />
rare, we hardly hear the real, true<br />
sound of instruments. It appears we<br />
have lost our ability to know what<br />
“real” music really sounds like,”<br />
she added.<br />
For Praiz, “This concert is<br />
unique and not the usual we’re<br />
used to in this part of the world. An<br />
awful lot of music is more a product<br />
of technicians and engineers than<br />
musicians and instruments, so this<br />
really is a breath of fresh air, literally.<br />
Real people, real food, real fun,<br />
and real music; it’s a 100 for me,” he<br />
remarked.<br />
There is absolutely nothing<br />
more surreal than meeting someone<br />
whose work you truly admire.<br />
Fans will also get to meet their<br />
favourite artists and share priceless<br />
moments with them at the event<br />
“As you may already know, I love<br />
live music performances. I love the<br />
thrill of connecting with my fans<br />
on a deeper level and I’m glad to<br />
be a part of the 100% Live concert.<br />
It’s unscripted and you can just be<br />
yourself. It’s definitely going to be<br />
an experience to remember,” said<br />
Adekunle Gold, the famous ‘Orente’<br />
crooner.<br />
As most music lovers yearn to<br />
discover new music and share their<br />
discoveries with others, 100% Live<br />
may just be the place to find the<br />
next Simi or Asa as there will be a<br />
bevy of talented supporting acts to<br />
perform. There’s something particularly<br />
satisfying about being able<br />
to recommend a new artist before<br />
any of your friends hear of them.<br />
You cannot afford to miss out<br />
as this concert promises to be an<br />
evening of good music and endless<br />
sing-alongs, vibing and dancing to<br />
some of the best songs in the world.
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