‘I sang my soul out, screamed to win’
How would you describe Yemi Alade? I am a young, free spirited and fun loving person who has the fear of God. I love to sing and am good at whatever I do. Sometimes I am referred to as a songstress while others call me a diva but in all, I am Yemi Alade. When […]
How would you describe Yemi Alade?
I am a young, free spirited and fun loving person who has the fear of God. I love to sing and am good at whatever I do. Sometimes I am referred to as a songstress while others call me a diva but in all, I am Yemi Alade.
When did music start for you?
About eight years ago.
Which of your work has been most challenging to bring together?
That would be my much awaited follow up single. I want it to be the best that it can be. It is not an easy task to produce or do a good music as some people may think. One does not just open his/her mouth to start singing especially when you are targeting huge success. There are many rules and processes among other factors which need to be followed and taken very seriously. Abiding by the rules is the only way to make your mark and arrive at your destination. To stand out successfully means that I have to take into consideration my kind of music, the output, interest of the people around and so on. It will be unacceptable for me to consider myself at some stage or the other as perfect, because there is always room for improvement and I will continue to learn as well as apply new trends to remain afloat. In life we all know that the only thing that remains constant is change, because every other thing undergoes change. You must, therefore, be on the alert to learn about the new trends as well as learn how to apply them.
What does music mean to you?
Music means a lot to me as I can easily and conveniently express myself with it at any point in time.
You are a product of a talent hunt show. Without the opportunity, do you think you would have come this far?
Where there is a will, there is a way! Yes, I believe I would have been discovered. The Peak Talent Show contest was not just about talent and intellect, but also had a lot to do with luck. God’s favour was on me and it was His grace that made me emerged winner. Really, it was that win that served as my leap into the music world.
How did you get to enroll for it?
I would say boredom was my motivation. Schools were on strike and I was tired of staying at home. One day a friend of mine told me about it and nudged me to give it a trial. I had nothing to lose trying, but a lot to lose if I didn’t. With my number being 174 at the auditioning I was so thrilled to be shortlisted as one of the 30 contestants and later on one of the four who represented Lagos. From then on curiosity got the better part of me right up till the very moment when the winner was announced.
What was the experience like for you?
I remember the first time I sang, the judges advised me to relax a bit and focus more on the singing than on the dancing. I sang my soul out, screaming and all that, prayed and hoped for victory like the other contestants did. My next performance was better. I could tell from the way the audience responded.
In cases where the onus lies on audiences/viewers to decide winners, would you say that judging on such shows is fair?
Yes, I think fair judgement was given. We all must know that as long as the person we are rooting for doesn’t win, we all assume the judgment given wasn’t a fair one.
Most artistes have someone they look forward to collaborating with. For you, who is that person?
Fally Ipupa, among many others, both Nigerian and foreign.
Who do you admire in the industry?
Waje, Tiwa, and Omawumi, they each inspire me.
What were your anxieties like during the competition?
I basically was in the competition for fun, I desired to win, but the most important thing to me was giving my best performance at all times.
What would be your career path if you were not into music at the moment?
I would have been a pilot, but now that I have my degree in my hand, I know I am going to come on stronger and better, just like old wine. I cannot exactly say why I ended up studying Geography, because my initial choice was to go in for Accounting whereas my mum wanted me to study Medicine. Don’t ask me why; maybe she wanted to be called ‘mama doctor’, but looking back now, I am quite appreciative of the fact that I studied Geography.
Any particular reason why you would have been a pilot?
For the big pay.
Some artistes have recently said at a certain age they’ll be retiring. Though you are quite young in the industry, do you think artistes should retire at some point or they can carry on ‘forever’?
People are different as such have different destinies to fulfill. Your belief is that at some point, there will come a time when retirement is the only option, but truly, only God can retire a talent.
Do you write songs for just yourself or you write for others?
So far I have written songs for myself alone.
What inspires you to write?
I am inspired by everything in my environment; my friends, family and generally things that happen around me.
Aside the fact that you rap, how would you describe your songs and the lyrics?
My lyrics are straight from the heart. I sing.
Is it possible to do a romantic love song in rap and get it to have the same effect as Blues would?
Yes.
Where do you see yourself in another five to ten years?
Well, in another ten years, I expect that when the top five artistes in Nigeria are mentioned, my name would be among them.
You started music eight years ago. Could you tell us how and where?
Myself and three other girls formed a group called NOTY; we eventually split up as we gained admission into different schools. We existed for about five years before I participated in the Peak Talent Show and won, thus the beginning of another journey towards stardom but without NOTY.
Why has been most challenging for you so far?
Well, because it’s been a while I have had material out there. Guess am just really nervous.
Originality is something that still embattles many of our artistes who tend to copy the west. What is your take on this?
Unfortunately, there is nothing that is entirely original anymore. Everything is recycled but I feel that what makes a song original is being able to interpret a song in your own way. A good number of Nigerian artistes are original.