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Govt Should Stop Attending To Individuals To Grow Kwara Entertainment Industry- Frequencie

Frequencie

The owner of Soft Life Style (SLS), song writer and Afrobeat musician, Eyanro Ayokanmi popularly known as Frequencie in an exclusive interview shares his experience in highly competitive Nigerian Music Industry.

Background

I attended St Joseph Primary School and proceeded to Mount Camel Secondary School, Ilorin for secondary school education. I studied Adult Education at University of Ilorin and holds Masters in Business Administration from the same Institution.

How did you venture into music?

I have been singing from my childhood. My brother used to entertain his friends when there is no light (electricity supply), it was just for fun at that time. I started performing at carnivals while growing up and people advised me to start writing songs. I started writing officially in 2007, that was the year I recorded my first song in the studio.

Would you say you are a song writer or musician?

One thing people are not aware of is that music is an occupation. Being a musician is in two ways; We have musicians with good voice, charisma, stage craft but they can't write their songs.

They have all it takes but the record label will need song writers like us to write good songs for them but people like me have both talents to write and sing the song.

The finance needed to sponsor yourself is very high, so we make money from writing to support our career as a musician as well. What I do is to download sounds and record different songs for websites or soundtrack for movies. Some producers just need soundtrack and they subscribe to those websites.

They post their description on the website and you produce the song on your own, if you are luck they accept your work; you get paid for the service. I am ghost writer. There are song writers that take credit for their songs. Ghost writer don't take credit but work behind the scene. People in Nigeria and Africa don't understand the business side of ghost writing.

People are always sceptical because some people are not professional. They breach agreement by telling people about songs written for artistes. But as a ghost writer you are not expected to mention it to anybody as part of the agreement.

Record labels are always comfortable working with Ghost Writer because of non disclosure agreement. So that why is I am ghost writing because if I standalone that sense of trust will not be their again, especially from clients. It's not their fault because some people have created issues for them (Artiste or record label).

Have you written any song?

I recorded my first song as professional in 2016 during my service year (undergoing NYSC). I was deployed to Sokoto state but seeing the decay infrastructures was painful. My colleagues and I were thinking of writing theme song...so I wrote WAZOBIA. The song lyrics read: 'Dem say make you calm down, no job, dem say make we calm down, dollars dey rise make we calm down, one love my brothers, me and you be WAZOBIA'.

The song was trending in camp but I redeployed to Kwara state. I felt Sokoto was not good for my career. That what when I started pushing the song online, we produced the stickers and flyers to promote the song nationwide. The following year I got email from FELA family to perform at felabration.

They make provision for accommodation, transport and security from Ilorin to Lagos. I felt great to perform in the stage that has been in existence before I was born, especially with family of Afrobeat originator. I liked the experience and came back to Ilorin. You know a lot of people want to leave Ilorin but I want to develop the occupation here.

You know football used to be'no no' for parents but it's now hotcake and people are now seeing the prospect in music occupation. Nobody here is mentoring the young once as most of their role models are in Lagos. So I want to develop the industry in Kwara state and be role model to upcoming artistes. We therefore redesign this play (His studio) to standard studio with necessary facilities and relaxation arena after recording session. Some people don't know we have standard studio in Ilorin.

People go to Lagos, thinking to become Lagos guy to make it big in music industry, I stand to be an example that why am not job hunting with my certificate or relocat to other city.

To achieve that, we organized award for Radio and Television stations in the stat. We recorded song for over 100 students from Kwara based Higher Institutions free of charge and give them short training to brush up their skills. Although, some people just want to sing but we focused on people with talents and encourages other to discovery their talent.

A book publisher in the state, Sunday Sunday endorsed me as face of their cover.I have also dropped Extended Play List (EP) containing eight tracks and it's available for download in over 200 websites. It comprises selection of songs that can teach the youths moral and how to build their capacity.

Like the track 1 lyrics: ''If I no get money e no mean say I no try, e mean say I dey lazy, If I broke today, I dey worry, me I go dey pray and hustle''.

It's just to encourage people going through difficulty to stay focus because they are not the only one facing life challenges. Another track is about building relationship, the lyrics goes thus; 'Money will come and go but eniyan lo ma ku'. I also featured late dagrin in other one which is preaching understanding.

During 2019 general elections we staged vote wisely campaign and produced 5000 vote wisely stickers to sensitise people against vote buying and selling. We distributed pure water in about 10 local government areas in Kwara state. I also featured Sean Tissue and Ventor in another single. I have recorded 38 songs and written over 700 song.

How would you describe Kwara state Entertainment music industry compared  to others? 

 Kwara state entertainment industry is below average, and can't be compared with many other states because entertainment is something you should express yourself. I might be a clown, and I might have my hair blown.

I might even wear ten chains. It's my work now. If you see a mechanic, you would recognize him by appearance, but will I in the same regard be able to walk freely in kwara? So if am working around as an entertainer and I have the big old school hair like my mentor Bob Marley.

And secondly access to some certain materials, which I think kwara state can capitalize on. Because Lagos state has grown their Entertainment industry but they don't have the special materials. kwara state can have some certain theater, or theater instrument that people all over Nigeria can come down, and also rent out, while they are making use of the facilities, they will be employing our youths.

In the Educational sector, when there was a big change in University of Ilorin, with a big infrastructure change including distribution of iPad and access to WiF. You see the way the students thinking pattern changed because what do you want to tell them that they don't know. They have the facilities. So, with entertainment facilities in kwara state where people can easily enroll, I think things will really change, because right now, they are bel

How do you think government can boost this industry in kwara state?

 The Government should stop attending to individual when it comes to entertainment, and they should stop bringing people that are below average to guide them on how to develop industry. As I am now, I know how much effect I put into during this election but yet, I haven't been invited. I won't be going there so It won't look like I am looking for what to eat.  Because then, I won't be able to achieve what I'm supposed to achieve. Until I'm invited that's when I would be able to speak my mind and its not even about the person sitting on the seat, its about the thing going away, because after four years he might go, and I only supported  because I think maybe things will workout so I'm waiting for the call because I wont be understood.

So I'm calling on the government to stop attending to this people, because they don't know about it, they just want to do it for personal gains. So I think the government should put people to investigate the people they will put in specific positions before entrusting anything into their hands.

What should people expect in the future from you especially the Youths?

The youths should expect  EP and also a lot of great works and the youth should understand who they are and where God has placed them and they should have it in mind that money is not wealth along side, they should keep working hard, and they should not let anybody tell them Nigeria cannot be great.

What is your view on copyright in the industry?

That's why we can't produce a lot of Entertainment millonaires without them having something else to support themselves. Because the market is not structured very well and it's as a result of having a bad structural market; the piracy is a result of the condition of the country. Because if the country is in good state, we wouldn't be having this issue. That's why we have cinema all over the place. So I would suggest that the artistes should balance the equation.



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