My weirdest experience yet with a fan – Otitoju

Weekend Magazine: How did you get into music?Omotayo Otitoju: Like the very clichéd verse, I first found music in church and it’s the best thing that has ever happened to me. My formative years circled around writing and honing my musical skills. I recorded demos at a time when the threshold of contemporary Nigerian music […]

Weekend Magazine: How did you get into music?
Omotayo Otitoju: Like the very clichéd verse, I first found music in church and it’s the best thing that has ever happened to me. My formative years circled around writing and honing my musical skills. I recorded demos at a time when the threshold of contemporary Nigerian music met its break in the early 2000s (even when it didn’t pay a dime). So I would say it was more than passion that drove my wheels.
WM: What has the experience been like for you?
Otitoju: I must say it hasn’t been easy, especially in a society like ours where afro-pop seems to get more attention, so to speak. Although, things have gotten better, people are starting to pay more attention to RnB these days. I guess we are evolving. And there is that pressure to go over to the dark side which doesn’t get to me, especially because making music for me, isn’t really about the money but about getting my music heard and healing the world through it.
WM: What songs have you done?
Otitoju: I have a song with the alluring Eva Alordiah titled ‘Closer,’ which also has a music video. The song is my first actual statement in the industry and it has gotten me a lot of positive feedbacks. I also recently dropped a new single, ‘Lojosi,’ which is also a must listen to. I have an E.P. on the way, which will definitely be released before the middle of the year. It is called ‘Heartbreak & Love Songs.’
WM: You’ve had some collaborations recently. Could you tell us more about them?
Otitoju: I have done stuff with Eva Alordiah and I am really proud of how it came out, especially because after I recorded the song, I knew it was missing something special and I knew it needed Eva. So I called her up, mailed my part of the song to her and she was excited to jump on the song right away and that is how we made a masterpiece. I also have a song with Gray Jonz from the PXC family called ‘Gimme Some,’ which hasn’t been released yet but will most definitely be in the Extended Play (E.P.). This is a musical recording that contains more music than a single but usually too short to be called an album. So, it is more than a single and less than an album.
WM: Is there anyone you look forward to working with?
Otitoju: There are already plans in motion to do a song with Vector Tha Viper and I’m looking forward to that very much. I also look forward to working with Chris Brown in the nearest future.
WM: What music genre do you sing?
Otitoju: I make R&B and soul music.
WM: What themes do you focus on?
Otitoju: Heartbreak and love songs basically. The whole process of falling in love, falling out of love, heartbreak, moving on and all that. I also make music that speaks against domestic violence, especially against women. ‘Losijojo’ is an example. I also dabble a bit around satire.  
WM: What is the most challenging part of being an artiste?
Otitoju: I’ll say one of the most challenging parts of being an artiste is getting your music out there. You must be ready to settle and pay your way dry through OAP’s, library guys and TV people, in order to put your stuff out there and get it heard or seen. This is more difficult if you are an indie artiste without any form of financial backing.
By this I mean, a successful music career requires consistency and that requires available funds whenever you need it and this spans from studio recording sessions to shooting music videos, to radio, TV and internet promotions and so on, all of which requires financial backing. And this is more difficult if you do it all on your own unless your father prints dollars in his basement and money isn’t hard to come by for you so to speak
WM: Are you saying it is more profitable to be under a label?
Otitoju: I guess I am saying that it is; as long as it is a well-structured label because the truth is, there are labels and there are labels.
WM: Do you plan on joining one soon?
Otitoju: Well, if any labels with a great plan for my music comes knocking, who am I to turn it away?
WM: You were recently part of the Airtel Trace Music Star Competition. Could you share with us, how you got into it, the journey and winning second place?
Otitoju: I almost didn’t enter for the competition because I thought it was too late. I was actually advised to enter for the competition by a friend who believed that I could win it. So I said “why not?” and gave it a shot only for me to get a call one day that I had been selected as one of the final five. I must say it was an amazing experience. Meeting the other contestants, touring radio stations, working with one of the biggest bands in Nigeria, getting to meet some of the people you’ve only always heard about or seen on TV screens.
WM: Were you disappointed you came second?
Otitoju: Well, it’s a bit of mixed feeling for me. I am a bit disappointed because I was confident I was going to win and then I didn’t. I am also not disappointed because I didn’t lose anything instead I gained more. Things haven’t been the same for me since that night and I can only get better. Now, a lot of people who didn’t know who Omotayo is, now do.
WM: What does this win mean for you?
Otitoju: An opportunity for my music to be heard by a larger audience which is all I have ever really cared about and which I intend to take full advantage of.
WM: What projects are you working on?
Otitoju: I am working on wrapping up my E.P. I am also working on shooting and dropping a few music videos and then I am working on collaborating with a couple of heavyweights and also taking my music to the next level because there is always a next level.
WM: What should your fans look out for?
Otitoju: Timeless music that will purge out different emotions in people and music that people will be proud of.
WM: You recently got married. How is married life and being an artiste like?
Otitoju: Married life is sweet o just in case you aren’t aware. I am happy and it is the best decision I ever made. There isn’t any gap between my marriage and music, both work perfectly well together mostly because I married for the right reasons. I married for the same things I sing about and I married someone who supports and believes in me 100 percent. So it’s more than easy combining both.
WM: Are you looking to start a family soon?
Otitoju: Let’s just say ‘we are still in the honeymoon year and we are working on it.’
WM: What is it like coping with fans?
Otitoju: My fans are one of the most important parts of my life and the success of my career so far has been dependent on them. Their deep and passionate feedbacks have continued to inspire me and made me better. My fans are usually the ones who tell the truth. They are honest and I love them.
 WM: What is your weirdest experience yet with a fan?
Otitoju: My weirdest experience yet with a fan was at the Airtel Trace Music Star finale where a male fan after watching me perform Maxwell’s ‘This woman’s work,’ started screaming, praying for me, hugging me, using curse words in positive ways though and running around me in circles intermittently, in excitement off course. The reaction was just crazy.
WM: What is the inspiration behind the lyrics of your songs?
Otitoju: Everything around me pretty much inspires me, the people in my life, the stories I hear, personal past experiences, and even fantasies of what I want to experience, all these things inspire my lyrics.
WM: Is any of them dedicated to your wife?
Otitoju: Yes, a few songs that may or may not be in the E.P. Let’s keep our fingers crossed (laughter).