Many Nigerians know him as GT Da Guitarman, but
his real names are Olaoluwa Agbeniro.
Born in London, the United Kingdom to Nigerian
parents from Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, but was raised
in Lagos state.
In this chat withPublic Faces Magazine’s
Ayobanji Olawuyi, the former Storm Records recording artiste gave his view on
the future of Nigerian music, his love for women and the reason while he has
been on a low key of late. Enjoy…..
Background
My name is
Agbeniro Olaoluwa Akingbogun, I hail from Obafemi Owode Local Government Area
of Ogun State. I was born in the UK but I was raised in Amuwo Odofin, Mile 2,
Lagos state. I attended Community Primary school and I had my secondary
education in Ikenne, Ogun state and Amuwo Odofin High School in Lagos, while I attended
Lagos State University, LASU for my University education. I am the second of
three children; the first son.
When and how did you begin your musical career?
Professionally,
I started in 2005 and I started as a fan of music because my dad had a huge
collection of Sir Ebenezer Obey, Sunny Ade and the likes and then my sister
joined choir in church, she would bring songs they were taught in church and we
would sing together.
I never
thought I would go into music but I remember people usually tell me that I
could sing well than what they hear on radio. So I started joining groups like Four
Generations, Peers of Glove, Tempo and Excel, so many funny names. We would go
for competition in churches and that was how it started. In 2005, I met Omo
Baba No 1 at a Valentine show where I performed with my Guitar as the opening
act and I wowed everybody. Omo Baba started managing me, took me to a Night of
thousand Laughs in 2005. I later met Dare Art Alade who introduced me to Storm Records;
I eventually released an album entitled “The Truth”. I spent five years at
Storm Records before I started my company called Ember Entertainment.
How are you able to combine being a music
producer and an artiste?
It’s not
easy I must say and then somehow it’s easy because it’s a natural process. In
fact, I am supposed to take credit for all the songs I have recorded because it’s
either I am playing the Guitar for it or I am part of the arrangement. I have
always ignored taking production credits for songs which I am actually supposed
to have taken but then on the Baked Album I decided to step up and add a
feather to my cap. It was fun being in charge and responsible for an album and
the ‘Baked’ album gave me the opportunity to explore my production acumen. I
mixed, mastered and produced 70% of the ‘Baked’ album. I have also worked for a
couple of other artistes, I did a song for Korede Bello that is yet to be
released and another guy called Blackboard, I also did for Omo Baba No 1 titled
‘there is God’ and a whole lot of others.
What is the inspiration and purpose behind your
Tulk Magazine Club?
The
inspiration behind Tulk Magazine club is to give a voice to the youth. Together
with a few friends, we decided to start a club where people who’ve got brain
can interact, share ideas and knowledge. Being a part of it, has given me an
opportunity to connect with young people from different backgrounds and reach
out to them the little way that I can. It has been an amazing journey with Tulk
Magazine club.
Some believe that music today is more of beat
than lyrics, as a Producer, do you agree to this?
I think you
said it all already, just beat with less music. I wouldn’t have thought of a
situation whereby this kind of thing would be what we are celebrating but then
again, it’s what the people want, that is what people want to hear, but if that
is what people want to hear then it’s fine, let’s just make good music. It’s
not compulsory that there should be lyrics involved in music, someone playing a
solo piano or guitarist can be considered musician. I think people should call
themselves singers and not musician but then there is a genre of music called
Afrobeat now, not the Fela kind of Afrobeat but the new generation Afrobeat and
I think it’s fine because there is room for everybody to flow with the current
trend.
With the current type of tracks being produced
now, what can you say about the future of Nigerian music?
I think
gradually, there is a decline in the quality of music that we push out there, I
cannot read the future but it doesn’t take a Nicodemus to tell you that the
quality of music we would be producing in Nigeria in the next five years would
be far worse because back then, we had role models like Boyz to Men and people
who model after us did a little closer to us and the ones that are going to be modeling
after the new age musicians, I really don’t know what they have to offer because
the truth is, in a situation whereby the average musician is made to freestyle
and they believe that is what you are meant to do as a musician, it’s a sad
situation, but then if people would buy it, I think its fine.
Why did you stop wearing hats?
I decided
to stop wearing hats because I wanted people to see my face. When I left Storm
Records, I wanted a new brand; I wanted to be known for something else aside
being a Storm Records artiste. I also stopped putting on hats because a whole
lot of people started wearing hats. I believe its normal for you to be a pace
setter. I just wanted to rebrand.
Should your fans be expecting singles and
perhaps another album from you this year?
Definitely,
you should be expecting new singles and probably an album hopefully. When I
released the ‘Baked’ album, I had to delve into other businesses that needed
concentration and my time. To a large extent, I think I have set the ball
rolling; now, I can have time for music. I had to take a break off music for a
while immediately I released my album last year. Guitarman is going to be here
forever and I owe it to my fans to bring out good music all the time.
It was rumoured that your departure from Storm
Records was like biting the finger that fed you, what’s your reaction?
No, I never
bit anybody, it was more of my contract expired. It’s called a record deal not
slavery. I signed a three year contract and I waited for five years so it
wasn’t about biting any finger. They might probably feel that way but I don’t
feel that way but then where is Storm Records now? Storm Records is no more and
everyone who left had their reasons. I am not the only artiste that left and if
I had not left, I am sure they would have asked me to leave because when I
left, the label folded up. And more importantly, I left because I wanted to
start my own Label which is Embee Entertainment.
Your Single ‘Love Me Better’ is a bit of soft
rock music, how well do you think that genre of music is accepted in Nigeria?
Love me
better is soft rock and it features Chocolate City’s Pryse. Well, we are doing
a great job, I think things can be better and there is room for improvement. In
a bid to build on our promotional strength we just made the album and pushed it
on iTunes, we didn’t even promote the album. I am sure everybody playing it on
radio stations that has it probably downloaded it or probably got the album
themselves.
What are the challenges you face in the music
industry especially with your genre of music?
With the
genre of music that we play, the show organisers don’t provide the necessary
things that we need like a live band setting, most events wouldn’t have that
kind of thing, they just want you to come and mime to the CD which is what we
don’t do. There is piracy and to promote your songs, you have to beg or you pay
so much for it to be done.
Which song would you say brought you to
limelight?
The song
that brought me out is Dreamer, it’s on the ‘Truth’ album.
Are you planning international collabos and
with which artiste (s)?
Definitely,
I would love to work with an International artiste and that would be India
Arie. I hope I would be able to do that before the next five years.
What is the reason behind the low profile
you’ve kept of late?
Like I said
earlier, I delved into other businesses and it’s been time consuming. More so,
the fact that I delved into production took some of the time I could have used
to develop myself as an artiste. Running a label is no child’s play and it
takes a lot of funds to do these things and pretty soon, we would be there and
I have no doubt about that.
Can you trade your voice in exchange for
5million US dollars?
Ah! 5
million dollars plenty o! I can’t trade my voice for anything; it’s giving more
things than 5million dollars.
When was the last time you did a free show?
I do free show
all the time, I like supporting people. I always tell people that talent is free;it’s
the time and opportunity cost that people are paying for. If you find me in a particular
place and I am in the mood to sing for you, I would sing for you but the fact is
if I am supposed to be somewhere else and you want me to be with you then you,
would probably have to pay for my time.
Do you charge artiste if they want to feature
you in their songs?
I am not
going to disclose that. Ok, I charge 200billion dollars per show. (Laughs)
Who are your allies within the industry?
I am close
to everybody and I am not close to anybody, I am like our current President.
What kinds of lifestyle do you live, celebrity-like
or just normal one?
The truth
is I don’t even see myself as a celebrity. I just like to be normal; I hate the
spotlight for God knows how many reasons. I am not too freaked about it, I just
feel like I’m a normal human being and people try to make super human out of
human. For me, I am just a musician and anybody can play music.
Have you ever been embarrassed by a fan?
Yes. I
could remember a day that I was driving and my car broke down and some fans
started singing, ‘when am I gonna be what I wanna be’ while I was in front of
the opened bonnet stuck in traffic, I wish the ground could open and swallow me
that day.
What are the things you have phobia for?
I am yet to
identify my phobia; I don’t think I am scared of anything.
How do you handle female fans?
I love
women and when I started music, I think I overdid that but now I am an adult,
so I know now that the decisions that I make affect everything that I do at the
end of the day, so I try to make the best decisions, I try to be smart and not
be foolish.
GT seems to be in love and he is not afraid to
flaunt it, can you tell our readers more about the lucky girl?
Well, yes I
am in love and I am not afraid to show it, I love my music, I love my fans and I love my wife to be. Her name is Obiageli,
I have known her for six years, I met her while I was trying to get my clothes
from the laundry man’s office, she was the secretary and I was like wow and
then I gave her my number and said ‘my name is GT Da Guitarman, call me’. She
didn’t call me until after a week and she was dating someone then, so I stole
her away and we’ve broken up and made up so many times but six years down the
line, I have decided to make her my wife. She remains that person that means
everything to me.
What would you give up for music?
Nothing.
What are your plans for 2016?
Same thing I’ve been doing, learning more
stuffs, I am not so particular about pushing out my music to the media. People
tell me GT you don’t sing anymore, and I am like, ‘are you guys deaf’, I sing
all the time, I am not just sharing my music with you guys. I still get to
perform at very exclusive events and I
get paid well for it.
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