I’m under pressure to keep my level – Tosin Martins

Tosin Martins: Tosin Martins is a simple young Nigerian musical artiste who loves to do music that everybody can relate with and that which is different from the regular music. He is also an easygoing and peaceful personality. But he could also be regarded as a demanding man when it comes to doing what is […]

Tosin Martins: Tosin Martins is a simple young Nigerian musical artiste who loves to do music that everybody can relate with and that which is different from the regular music. He is also an easygoing and peaceful personality. But he could also be regarded as a demanding man when it comes to doing what is right and proper.

WM: Why did you abandon law for entertainment?  

Tosin: Law is my profession but music is my passion! It is something I do naturally and which I love. It is something that makes you happy all the time and that always wants to make you express yourself. That is the easiest way to express myself.

WM: You are more into gospel music, does that mean we do not see you going secular for sometime?

Tosin: Not necessarily. I do a lot of gospel music because my background is the church. The gospel is what most people need and we have to share it. But beyond the gospel, there are other realities in God that we have to share.

WM: When did you actually start singing?

Tosin: I started singing professionally in 1997.

WM: How will you assess the negative impact of piracy on the entertainment industry?

Tosin: Piracy is as a result of lack of proper structure and investment in place. When you don’t have the kind of budget and the kind of support structures to make your music available across the entire nation, then you will have piracy. The law of demand and supply is that if my CD is in Lagos and it is taking one month to get to other parts and someone in Kano has been hearing the song on radio, pirates will make it available in Aba, Ekiti, Ibadan and Kano because people want it there. So until we have that mega support structure to aid the music industry in Nigeria, piracy will continue. We also need to have laws that outrightly criminalize piracy and these must be enforceable. But those laws at the end of the day will require the commitment of those in charge of law enforcement. And that is hard because they are not getting tax from the music. There is a lot to do in tackling the problem but we have to start from somewhere.

WM: Many musicians start from the church but you find out that in the end they end up fully in the secular terrain. Does that mean that secular music is financially lucrative?

Tosin: The answer is yes and no. Of course the music industry is always more lucrative in the secular plane. Church is essentially not supposed to be about money making. It is always very difficult to start to talk about money especially considering the spiritual nature of music in the church. It is not too much about the money, but also not because music is an art and a profession. So, you cannot come into the industry without taking that into consideration. Once you are aware of that fact, then you have to professionalize. Then you consider the commercial purpose. You must be doing music that everybody can identify with. What you call secular music is not ungodly. It is not bad music. There are no opposites in the issue of secular and gospel music. The word secular just means that it is open to everybody.  It is not bad to be secular. What is bad is to defile the people through the contents of your music. It is when you say things that are obnoxious in your music that it becomes bad.

WM: how is life treating you after that incidence where you encountered losses?

Tosin: I have lost quite a number of people close to me and in my family though it hasn’t been that recent. But I realize that life has to go on. We understand by our faith that someday we will see our loved ones again. They are absolutely fine it us here that have to worry about life. Why they left is not what we have to focus on but where they are.

WM: Your song, ‘Olomi’ was an instant hit and it shot you to limelight. What was the source of motivation for that song?

Tosin: I always say two things: the experience of love and two, God. Whether you believe it or not, a hit song is not always the making of the artiste because if it is so then you will make such hits on a daily basis. No artiste can guarantee a hit. He or she can only make good music. At times hits are overrated because every song cannot be a hit because you will put artistes under tremendous pressure. But the factor that makes a hit is simply God. He decides to give that special breath to a particular song by which everybody will define you in your career and for a long period of time. I thank God for the privilege to have been the one to bring that song to people.

WM: Some critics say the song has a light lewd undertone. How will you react to this?

Tosin: I am hearing that for the first time. If that is happening, it is a function of people’s perception. No, it does not have a sexual undertone, definitely not even when I was recording the song. If you take the lyric, I don’t think so. Nothing in the lyrics underlines that. It is a simply a function of the interpretation of people that are listening to the music.

WM: What projects are you currently unto now?

Tosin: There is a new video of the song, ‘Ololufe’ which I have done. There is another one, ‘Kosigi’ also I have done with Ego. We shot them on location while the ‘Ololufe’ is out and though it has not enjoyed much publicity as much as we had thought but that is always a challenge to those of us who are artistes. People always want the same thing but really creativity doesn’t always work like that. You move in a direction and inspiration takes you. You just need to be more open minded to get the best as an artiste. ‘Kosigi’ is already on air and there are more on the way. It is a harvest. In the album we have Banky W, MI, Jesse Jagz, his brother and other artistes. Rooftop MC and Sage are equally on. You need to see the album. We are also planning to do a full secular album and a gospel album or simple merge them very soon. Either way everybody gets something to enjoy.

WM: Many people say Tosin Martins is a silent millionaire. Others say he is still a struggling artiste. Which are you?

Tosin: Tosin Martins is rich of course. He is rich in his mind. I can feed myself and take care of my family. I also pay my bills by the grace of God. I do not complain because God has been faithful. I am rich in terms of my outlook to life. But if you are saying in naira and kobo or in terms of cash reserves, sorry to disappoint, no, not yet.

WM: What do you consider before you agree to perform at any show?

Tosin: The quality of the event is what should concern any artiste and the people. The biggest asset of the artiste is the audience and the love of that audience. Also he or she must consider the quality of the sound system. That is the nightmare of any artiste. In 60 or 70 percent of the case that is always the problem. That is what people who organize events and show should give priority to. The quality of the event must always be top notch for me. Of course I will also be looking out for a good pay. It is a business. We artistes deserve good money for our work.

WM: Where is Tosin Martins going to be in the next couple of years?

Tosin: I want to get to a stage when my name can be mentioned alongside those you hear globally. That is the destination of every serious artiste. The issue for me is not winning Grammy. Those are just the perks for going global.

WM: What has been the most daunting experience in your career?

Tosin: Thankfully I have never had any experience that would want to make me give up the profession. The idea of giving up has never occurred to me. That is not to say that I have never had any daunting experience of course but it depends on how committed or passionate you are concerning your job. That is what determines how daunting it can get that will want to make you relinquish your passion and interest. I have had challenges in maintaining the name in the industry and all the accolades that come with it. People expect you to live up to this big status. But I am still the same humble personality despite the expectations. In this part of the world your success does not necessarily translate into so much money. This could be challenging. Also there are internal issues like friends, family and society that conflicts with your career and you have to make painful choices…

WM: How do you relate to your amorous female fans?

Tosin: You cannot be in this business and achieve a bit of fame and not expect women to be around you. It is not a bad thing in itself. What is important is what you do with the attention and how well you manage it. I love my female fans especially the fact that they love me. A lot of women have actually contributed to helping me achieve what I am today. I have been favored enough not to have many women who go that crazy on me. The ones who do we just find a way around it…

WM: What word of advice do you have for upcoming artistes?

Tosin: We are all always upcoming you know.  Nobody ever wants to be down and out. Listen to your heart and don’t be afraid to achieve what you are called to. Avoid the trap of wanting to do what everybody is doing. There must be a difference between you and the next person. If you do what everybody else does, then you are like everybody else. That is not to say you should not be mindful of the sound of the times. Try to adjust to suit the time but do not lose your own unique identity. Imagine Asa was doing something else like dancehall; we will never have somebody on that international stage. Imagine Femi Kuti doing hip-hop or rapping or imagine MI doing Jazz, or let’s say Dbanj was doing Afro-juju or Sunny Ade doing Hip-hop. That would of course be funny. Everyone has to choose what makes them, them.