SEGUN ADEBAYO recently caught up with
Olamide where he opened up on his
career and how he plans to remain
relevant. Read Excerpts After The
Cut……………
What has been happening to Olamide?
A lot of good things have been
happening to me and my crew. I have
been doing what I love doing and I am
getting paid for it. That ordinarily comes
with a good feeling, I can’t deny that. I
have a lot of things that I am working on
right now and we are working day and
night to meet up with the demands of
the industry. Which is staying on top of
your game while you can, having in mind
that the phase will soon pass. You have
to make sure that you make your stay
worth the while.
Is this why you have featured in
different singles more than any other
artiste lately and what are you trying
to achieve with this?
You know people are very funny. When I
was not featuring in other people’s
albums or singles, they were the ones
saying on twitter and other social media
platforms that Olamide is proud, he’s
not friendly and all sorts of things that
you can’t imagine. But now that I have
been working with a whole lot of artistes
in the industry, they have come out to
say I should give myself a break. I
wonder what the people really want? The
truth is that you can’t live your life for
the people. You have to do what you feel
is right for you to keep your career on
the right track.
So, you don’t care about what people
say about you anymore?
I didn’t mean it like that. What I am
trying to say is that if you continue to
listen to what people say every time
before making your decision, you may
not make the right decision at the end of
the day and you may also make the right
decision. What is important is your
attitude to what you do. It does not
mean you won’t listen to them or take to
their pieces of advice, you just have to be
truthful to yourself and make sure you
are doing what you believe is in the best
interest of your career. I just want to
remain on top of my game. I know I have
what it takes to run the show for as long
as God permits me. But time will tell. I
am growing by the day and I am
enjoying every bit of my moment in the
industry.
You once said that your hustling days
are over, but you don’t seem to be
slowing down. You are always at every
major show around town…
I am an ambitious young man. I love to
always push myself to the limits. We
have a lot of things going on in the
industry now that would really make you
sit tight and buckle up. Asides that, I
have gone through a lot before I could
arrive at this level, to God be the glory.
When I look at where I was coming from
and where I am today, it only reminds
me of one thing, never stop dreaming
big and don’t ever look down on
yourself even if nobody believes in you.
You have to make sure you have got
what it takes to stand the test of time.
Olamide didn’t just arrive over night. It
has been a very rough journey, but God
has been good to me. The truth is that
people have not seen the best of
Olamide.
You said one should not look down on
his or her self; it seems you have a lot
beneath that sentence. Could you
share some of those rough
experiences with us?
Everybody knows my story or let me say I
try to let people know my story with the
way I sing so that you won’t come and
tell me tomorrow or the people that you
did or that for me when I was this or
that. When I compose my songs, I
always try to bring my rough days into
retrospect. I remember how I waited
many years for my single to be
promoted. I was always told to wait.
When I couldn’t wait anymore, I had to
look for another way round it. A lot of
people turned me down because they
didn’t believe in me. I have nothing
against them because that’s life for you.
Everybody can’t believe in your dream,
even if it is the most beautiful one.
Today, it is practically difficult for
anybody to come out and say what I had
already said about myself in most of my
songs.
Why did you say that?
You know people are funny. I am sure
you are aware of how some people
could wake up one day and start saying
what is not true about your life. So, in
order not to be shocked when you hear
or see something like that, you have to
prepare your mind and that of your fans.
I always sing about the story of my life in
my songs so that if you say something
about it tomorrow, the people would tell
you that they heard me say it before.
Now that your dream has been
fulfilled and you can also stand on
your own, what’s the feeling like?
I feel great. I feel honoured. I feel so
happy. But above all, I thank God, to
whom I give all glory.
Are you surprised to have arrived at
this level?
To an extent, my rise came as a shock
but at the same time, my only wish since
I was young was to rise above my peers
and make a name for myself in whatever
good I find myself doing. I strived hard
to come out with something everybody
would appreciate, plus the recognition
that has marked my career. I will say my
rise to stardom has not been a fluke. I
have worked tirelessly over the years
trying to break into the industry and
studying the rules of the game so as to
become relevant. You don’t want to
know how I waited and prayed to taste
fame.
How has music changed your life?
Let me say that music took me away
from wandering about the streets to
doing the right thing at the right time. It
has reshaped my life and taught me that
hard work, talent and God’s grace are
very important in every man’s life. I can
say it boldly that those who never
believed in me can now see that I carry a
special grace. That is why I will remain
grateful to ID Cabassa. He was one of the
good people God used to turn my life
around. I won’t say more than that
because I know you would want to probe
me further.
Now that music has taken you away
from the streets, what do you miss
most about it?
I really didn’t miss anything except for
the life on the streets. I never wanted to
remain on the streets. I have learnt a lot
of lessons my brother, but one thing
that readily comes to my mind each time
I remember where I was coming from is
the fact that the secret of success goes
beyond making good music. Every right-
thinking artiste must possess a good
character to sustain the success that
comes his way. You must have the
character that could help you sustain the
test of time. Trust me; rising to stardom
comes with a lot of challenges, but you
can only overcome them when you have
a good sense of understanding about life
itself.
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