Oprah Alade who many might not
aware is younger sister to Olu
Maintain is set to carve a niche for
herself in the highlife music terrain . The graduate of English from
Adekunle Ajasin University is one of
the few female highlife singers on
the Nigerian music scene . In this
interview with Mercy MICHAEL ,
Oprah who dropped her sophomore
album , Happy Faaji penultimate week
ago speaks on her passion ,
relationship with her brother Olu
Maintain , marriage among other
things .
WHAT is your genre of music ? I do
Highlife , although if you listen to my
album you will hear a bit of Juju but I
will categorise my music as Highlife.
Tell us about your foray into music ?
My foray into music dates as far back as
2006 when I finished my youth service.
I served in Oyo State . I started music
back in the University but after I
finished my youth service I decided to
face it squarely. I formed my band and
I started fully . I play at weddings, any
occasion whatsoever.
Was music what you studied in school?
No , I studied English.
And after four years of studying English
you stuck your guns to music, why?
A lot of things discouraged me from
pursing a white color job really. When I
finished my Youth Service , I worked for
few months, I worked as a secretary in a
Clearing and Forwarding Company, the
salary was meager and I was
discouraged . I decided to look for
another job but the salary wasn ’ t any
better and I saw that it wasn ’t meeting
up to my need so I decided to do
something else , something that will
make my future brighter . If I had stuck
with the job , I won ’t be where I am
today. So I have no regrets at all.
So music was more of a survival instinct
than passion ?
Music is my passion. Right from when I
was in primary school , I was always in
the choir. There is no church I go to
that I not join the choir. So music has
always being a passion but you know
obviously our parents will not allow it if
we say , oh mummy I don’t want to go
school , I want to do music. They will
always want you to acquire that formal
education and after school you can go
with your passion. Yes , the frustration
of earning a meager salary added to why
I had to pursue my passion but music is
really want I had loved to do.
You said you won’ t have been where you
are not if you haven ’t pursued music
which means music has paid off ? Tell us
about it ?
Not really ( laughs ). Don’t misunderstand
me . It ’s not as if I ’m a million right
now , I ’m still struggling . What I mean is
that it made me to be independent. I ’m
not answering to anybody . I’ m my own
boss . That time when I was working I
had a very wicked boss but right now ,
all that is off my neck. It ’ s not as if I ’m
a millionaire but at least I ’m getting
shows and definitely the money will
come.
What was the journey like initially?
When I started it was very rough . It was
so difficult for me to form a band in
the first place. But along the line I met
my husband who has been into
entertainment for a long time . At the
time when we were courting , I told him
I wanted to form a band . He was the
one that helped me to form the band .
After we got married , I started doing
Friday gigs. But getting a venue to
perform was another challenge I needed
to surmount.
Before you can get a venue , they will
ask you to bring your CD, they want to
be convinced that you can sing, they
want to be convinced that you can pull
crowd . They give you conditions. They
will tell you to provide your instrument
and you will also be the one to invite
guests . Too many conditions are
attached to it . You will hire equipment
with your money and at the end of the
day you don’ t see anybody . That
happened for a couple of years but later
they started paying me money for the
equipments I hire . So it’ s getting better
now but the road as not been smooth.
Marriage came before your music took a
shape . Would you say it has help to
reduce harassment that comes with the
territory ?
Yes and no . No, because some men are
so stubborn. I will use the word
stubborn because some don ’t care. They
will be like so what ? But there are some
once they see that ring ; they will just let
you be. So , I would say it has helped .
There could still be some naughty men
but marriage does shield you.
In a case when someone wants to hire
you and at the same time wants to be
intimate with you, you just need to be
diplomatic. Sometime you even have to
lie , hire me first and the other will come
later and after the show then you make
your stance known . But most times ,
when you are good at what you are
doing most times they won’t have a
choice than to hire you.
Why do you think we have few female
artistes doing Highlife ?
A lot of the female acts that comes into
music I feel they feel Juju music is the
quickest way to make money and that’s
why they we have more female artistes
doing Juju than Highlife . With Juju music
you sing and praise people who in turn
spray you with money . Although I fit
into the two but I ’m a Highlife musician .
How do you combine being a mother
with music ?
Week days are always free. Most week
days are free. I ’m busy from Friday to
Sunday. I spend all the week days with
my son. Weekend is the only time he
doesn ’t see me much but I tend to make
up for that time during the week.
You recently dropped your album ,
right ?
I dropped my album just 2 weeks ago.
Is this album your debut ?
No , it ’s my sophomore . The first one
was a long time ago.
Do you have any video out ?
Not yet , I have an agreement with the
marketer, the marketer is IK Dancent is
in Alaba. I have an agreement with him .
He wants the audio to push itself first
then we will start shooting the video .
I noticed that you have few tracks in
this album, any reason?
The shortest of those tracks you see is
about 12, 13 minutes . They are so long .
I didn ’t want to bore my fans that why I
did only four tracks. That was just what
I felt . There are still so many songs that
I ’m yet to release but I didn ’t want to
overcrowd the album with too many
songs.
Most people don’t know you are Olu
Maintain’ s younger sister. Music
definitely runs in the family right ?
Yes , music runs in the family. My father
is a guitarist while mom used to be in
the choir.
Did you get their support at the initial
stage ?
Yes . They felt my brother had done it
and succeeded so they gave me the go
ahead but they wanted me to study first .
The support came right after I finished
my schooling .
Did you also get your brothers support?
Not really what I expected. And I think
it ’s because his own career is taking so
much from him, so he has little time for
me at this time . I’ m not pained and I
don’ t want to complain because he tried
in the past. He has tried but I would
have wanted him to do more. I wouldn’t
blame him though maybe he feels I
should have a taste of what he went
through .
If I really had a shoulder to lean on I
won ’t appreciate it when the success
comes . He doesn ’t want to spoon feed
me . Maybe that is what he ’s doing. He
doesn ’t want to spoon feed because
nobody spoon fed him. He had it rough .
That is what he wants me to experience
too . I ’m glad about it . Initially , I didn’t
understand what he was trying to do but
right now I do . Initially I got his
financial support but I wanted more.
Even though you don ’t sing the same
kind of song , has he been an influence
to your music in anyway?
He ’s tenacity and he’s doggedness has
inspired me over the years because I
knew how he started. He started from
absolutely nothing. He ran away from
home when he was in his first year in
the University . We didn ’t see him a
whole year, he didn’ t call, he didn’t
contact us because he wanted to survive
on his own . So that tenacity , that drive ,
that doggedness he has really inspired
me and it ’s one of the things that made
me say , okay if he can do it , then I can
do it too .
Have you two ever talked about
collaborating ?
Yes , but there has not been time . But
with my genre of music I still don’t
know where he fits in but when he’s
ready I’ m sure will do something .
When was the last time you spent time
together ?
It ’ s been a while because he ’s been in
and out of the country .
How do you unwind?
I relax by listening to Highlife music. I
listen to a whole lot . And I do watch
movies a lot.
What is the good thing about being
married ?
Your mind is at rest. You are not
anxious about anything . I’m not anxious
about who I am going to get married to .
Will he be rich , tall , or dark ? I have
passed that stage so my mind is at rest .
All I ’m thinking about now is how my
family is going to be comfortable. How
my music career is not going to affect
my home .
So I will say been married is the
happiest thing to happen to me .
Marriage is good . It can be happily ever
after but you need a lot of patient and
understanding. If you don’t have those
two things in your life you are dead . We
are human beings and we are bond to
make mistakes and we have to learn to
forgive each other. And if we are
content with what we have , we can
leave happily ever after .
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