I can never regret being an artiste – Ugo Stevenson

When actually did your journey in the arts begin? I am a trained artiste from the University of Port Harcourt. When you say graduate, people graduate without being trained. I prefer the word trained because I passed through the system, from the professional certificate programme to the degree programme. Before I proceeded to school for […]

When actually did your journey in the arts begin?

I am a trained artiste from the University of Port Harcourt. When you say graduate, people graduate without being trained. I prefer the word trained because I passed through the system, from the professional certificate programme to the degree programme. Before I proceeded to school for higher studies, I worked with the Imo State Council for Arts and Culture as a performing artiste. When I left them, I established what I called the first private entertainment company in the S/East known as Ogbakoro Theatre Company. Since then, I have been striving hard. It’s is all about theatre and performing art.

Since then how has life been with you in the field of music?

If I say it’s been rough that is what every other person who wants to succeed will say. I will rather say it’s been challenging because the road is not easy for anybody who wants to make a statement. You need to strive on to conquer, face the huddles jump them over and move on. If this is your profession not your occupation or hobby, then it is a rough road. Then like I said it doesn’t move me because nobody has ever succeeded without passing through rough patches. It’s been rough but we are conquering.

Did you ever regret being an artiste?

I can never regret being an artiste. You don’t call yourself, the arts call you. That you regret means telling God that you regret whoever He created you to be. I would rather say that the environment may not be favourable in a country called Nigeria whereby a lot of people don’t even seem to appreciate the value of the arts and the artistes themselves. This is one place where you don’t practice art because you are trained but because you just think you have talent in you and you jump into it. Somebody who undergoes the tutelage of training, who wants to do it right will have to compete with those without training who don’t care whether they do it right or not. In that way you just understand that you have not just competitors but not those who may not want to share your vision. So definitely for you is to know your vision define where you are going and how you want to go about it. That way you don’t compete but you run your race.

Why have you chosen to practice arts alone among all other professions mentioned?

In art, the gift is in you. In the search for identity it’s good you pick one, establish it and then run into others. So what I have been doing is to get music, define it, establish my identity as a musician. Then the branch of master of ceremonies has never conflicted with music.  Also, I have won an award in play writing. My work had been shortlisted for ANA National Play Writing prize. Those ones silently come, it doesn’t conflict with identities. I have also featured in a few movies but I never wanted anything else to overshadow music so that people will not say who actually he is. I know that by the time the statement of being a musician is made the way I want it I will simply go back to those other areas and bring them out from where I have left them.

Do you envisage yourself growing in the music business?

I have broken records; those who saw me were expecting me to be as old as Chief Osadebe or Oliver de Coke for me to win an award in highlife music. I have also consistently followed what I believed is my brand and vision which a lot of people don’t survive with. I am in the course of recording my fourth highlife album. I know a lot of people who have changed their style because they think highlife is not as popular as it used to be or is having a lot of competition with the hip pop. But I am proving that competition breaks the rule and if you believe it you follow it. But we have been doing well.