On a cool Friday afternoon, handsome and sonorous singer Darey Art Alade walked into the Linda Ikeji Music studios and we got him to talk about the state of the music business in Nigeria, his annual flagship Valentine show ‘Love like a movie’ and the real story behind his chart topping 2016 single ‘Pray for me’, working with the Soweto Gospel Choir and many more. Enjoy excerpts from the interview below.
LIM: Let’s talk about your song ‘Pray for Me’ what was the inspiration behind that song?
Very simple really. We were working on the album and my producer came and started putting some ideas down which eventually became the song, Pray for me. I asked him where is this story coming from. He told me Psquare’s story, how they left home and how their dad wasn’t really in support and they literally broke their sim cards on the table in the house. That was Peter, Paul and Jude. They told their parents: ‘there is nothing you people can do now except to pray for us’.
The song itself is inspired by their story but it doesn’t talk about exactly what happened to them. It’s not like when you are listening to the song, you think about Psquare. Everybody one way or another can relate to it with their own story and experiences. May be there is something you want to do but your parents are not in support or it’s not working out but you just have to brave it and go for it.
LIM: Why did you choose the Soweto Gospel Choir?
Many reasons. The song had been finished and I listened to it and I am the kind of person that can listen to a music and start hearing other things as with many other creative people and that is how you get to do a remix or different versions of a song. So I felt a choir will bring the song to a different place. It was already a good sounding song but I just felt that the choir could do something fresh to it. The question then became what choir? If we should use a choir from Nigeria or any other place? I have been a fan of Soweto Gospel choir for many years and I have a lot of friends in South Africa and moreover, they are multiple Grammy award winners who has been nominated for the Emmy awards. So they are a big deal. More importantly, I didn’t even know them personally. I reached out to some South African friends and I am like ‘I am thinking of working with these guys’ Infact I have two songs and I told a friend of mine about it and luckily he knew them. He said he had worked with them before. To cut the long story short, I was introduced to them, I shared some of the music and they loved it. The rest is history. They were even more excited than me working on the song as you can see from watching the making of the music documentary, I was teaching them Yoruba and all. The song needed that cross-culture, pan-African collaboration. There is nothing wrong with working with a Nigerian choir but when you work outside your comfort zone, it gives you new challenges.
LIM: Would you be working with them again?
I would love to, I would really love to. I like their sound and energy and they are really down to earth.
LIM: it’s almost time for another Love Like a Movie concert. How did you come up with the idea and the name? The name alone is different; it is your concert but doesn’t have your name attached to it
I think it was four or five years ago, we were like, well I haven’t done a concert in a while and we started thinking, what can we create that can break new grounds and project my music? It started like a joke, all of my team members sat down and just talked about it. But really, it is the brain child of my wife, it is her idea in terms of what it would be called, the final decisions are up to her but a lot of us came together and came up with the idea of what and what it could be. At the end of the day, we created Love Like a Movie. It has set a new bench mark, every year it breaks new boundaries. It has set the tone of what production and audience experience should be in Nigeria. It is almost like a Vegas show, in terms of lights, sound dance and music. It is the show you go to and you have the best of everything not just one particular part of entertainment.
LIM: Why the decision to bring a foreign celebrity every year? Kim Kardashian, Kelly Rowland and Ciara have been to the three concerts respectively.
You are talking about only those ones, how about Tiwa Savage, Sound Sultan, Kaffy, Imganeto dancers, and some of our other partners? Love like a movie is not just about one artist; it’s not just about me. When you attend Love Like a Movie, you realize it’s about different artistes coming together to give you a great show. So dance, music, singing, choreography, special artist, acrobats e.t.c is what love like a movie is all about not about Kim and all. They just add a little bit of flavour. They just bring their own swagger and hype. It’s not just about Kim, Kelly or Ciara, they just bring a little bit of spunk to the show. They are just icing on the cake.
LIM: What was it is like working with Ciara?
It was great, that wasn’t even her first time in Lagos, It was probably her fourth time but that was the most she enjoyed herself. I think between meeting us and working with us, I think she enjoyed the energy and when people enjoy themselves, they tend to let loose and relax and enjoy their surrounding a lot more.
LIM: How is it different from working with fellow Nigerian artistes?
They are different because they are different. They come from different background. The comparison really isn’t there. They have different orientation, professionalism, they are exposed to different things but at the end of the day, there are lots of similarities. Example, the talents, a lot of usare even more talented than these guys. But consistence and constant rehearsal and working on your craft, I would say gets different between us and them. With them, they have everything at their disposal, infrastructures studios, space and others.
LIM: Between, Kim Kardashian, Kelly Rowland and Ciara, which of them did you enjoy working with the most?
That’s a tough one. Kim was good, to be honest. She was here for almost two days and she gave interviews. I can remember her doing an interview with Gbemi of Beat FM. She had dinner with our VIP guests. I am sure Lily green room can attest to this, I was having my throat tea; she usually makes it using herbal throat tea and other stuffs. While we were gisiting as we waited for the show to start, Kim asked me ‘what am I drinking?’ You know she was pregnant at that time and when you’re pregnant, in as much as you want to try different things; you also have to be careful because, you are carrying a child. So I was quite surprised when she asked me what I was drinking and that she wanted to taste it. She took my cup and had a sip of it and she liked it. I had to ask Lily to make a fresh cup for her. Kim was really down to earth. She had a flight to catch that night of the show, it wasn’t a private jet or anything so she needed to go but she said she would have really loved to watch the show just that she also needed to go to the airport. She decided to say hi to everybody on stage and introduced the show before she left. She did a lot more than why she came, she did the red carpet. It was a great experience.
Kelly was amazing, I still suspect that their baby was conceived during love like a movie because she came with her husband. They were not married then, they got married soon after. Love Like a Movie can take credit for some of these issues..lol
Ciara was great, dancing kukere, shoki and all that. It was a blast. Each of them has a different dimension to love like a movie in terms of the experience in general. So I don’t have a favourite.
LIM: Who is coming this year for Love Like a Movie?
I don’t know. If I knew, I wouldn’t even tell you. But as usual, when it does happen, it promises to be a well put together show.
LIM: You have been in the music industry for a long time has maintained your distinct sound, you haven’t let the market determine your music. how do you achieve this?
It takes having a strong will, it takes been true to yourself and knowing your limitation, don’t overdo it. The genre can change, the tempo can be fast or slow but your sound, your soul and how you put yourself in the music is what really matters. It has worked for me, it has paid my bills and I won’t lie, I can’t complain. But I have realised everybody has a space and it’s that variety that makes us who we are and gives you the Nigerian scene we all love.
LIM: You followed your father’s footsteps and went onto music, are any of kids showing interest in music?
My daughter loves to dance and like to watch my performances. They all love my music and listen to it but I am not sure any of them wants to be a musician. My son is a footballer, apart from the school he is in now, he want to play football professionally. My daughter shows more of the creative genes in terms of music and dancing.
LIM: Who is the King of RnB in Nigeria?
I have no idea, I don’t know. First of all, how many people are even making RnB music? So, I don’t know.
LIM: Are we expecting any collaboration between you and Timi Dakolo anytime soon?
We have not talked about it but who knows? I know I have spoken to Banky W about making music together. I think when the right time comes. We are all brothers. In fact, Banky is my cousin, so no problem. It’s really about the music. When the moment comes and the music is right, there could be collaboration. That would be nice. Maybe, me, Timi and others would join hands and do like a national anthem for the ladies.
LIM: People believe there is some sort of rival between you and Timi Dakolo. Is this true?
You can’t tell me people think there is some kind of rival. I speak for myself, over the years, I have been making my music and I have never been in any competition with anybody. I’m only in competition with myself. I try to improve on anything I have done before. I won’t say I am in competition with anybody and I don’t think anybody out there should think they are in competition with anybody else. Just do your own thing and make good music.
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