Queen Aishat: Why I sang for Obama

Aishat: it was a passion I always had in me and you know music in this era sends and passes on a lot of messages to the audience. Like politicians when they want to campaign the call me to use my music to pass on messages. people tend to get the message more when it […]

Aishat: it was a passion I always had in me and you know music in this era sends and passes on a lot of messages to the audience. Like politicians when they want to campaign the call me to use my music to pass on messages. people tend to get the message more when it is passed through music. I have always had the passion for music and decided to go in full time into it and also I love doing a lot of advocacy work and saw music as a good opportunity to drive in the message to the people out there. Before I sing for a person, I try to get his data and aim so that I can get all the necessary information when I am composing the song and when the song is finally out there, the audience get the right message.

WM: How long have you been into music?

Aishat: Over five to six years now.

WM: Do you still remember your first song and how it was for you then?

Aishat:  The first song I ever sang was dedicated to my mum, which was titled ‘mother is great’ (uwar tan a da grima). That song fetched me an award as the best female artiste of the year 2006 by PMAN Kano chapter.

WM: What are the challenges you have faced in your music career since you ventured into it?

Aishat: Allhamdullilahi, I have not faced any serious challenge except progress.  Allah has been so good to me that I have just been growing from strength to strength since m first single and getting more fans. And again the type of music I do is for advocacy, weddings and congratulatory songs, so you can see the kind of music I do is not for marketing and from what people call me they call me the music Queen of advocacy. Another problem we face is the problem of promoters. If we had promoters, things will be better.

WM: You sang a song for Obama recently  are you sure he by chance has heard the song?

Aishat:  By the special grace of God he has heard the song because I have a brother working in the voice of America (Hausa section), I sent the song to him of which he aired the music the day Barack Obama was being sworn in. The song was aired more than twenty times and in the song I had my email address and my Mobile phone number and I received a lot of calls from our Nigerian brothers and sisters there and some American people saying that they love the rhythm of my song but that they do not understand what I was talking about as they could only understand Barack Obama.  So to make them understand what I was talking about I decide to translate it to English and make a song of it of which I took it to the American embassy and gave it to the American Ambassador here in Abuja and she was very delighted and happy when she listened to it and promised that she would send it to the American President. When he was 100 days in office the hausa and English version of the song was aired on voice of America.

WM: So what spurred you into singing for Barack Obama?

Aishat:  as I said earlier my kind of music is partly rejoicing with people. When I was composing the music many people felt I was wasting my time but their perception changed when they heard the music and realised that it was being aired on the voice of America. I felt he deserved a congratulatory song from Nigeria at lest we are his brother somehow, he is partly African.

WM: What were the challenges you faced in bringing this song to see the light of day?

Aishat:  you know before you do something you must have someone to give you moral support and backing, I almost gave up but with the support of my brother in the voice of America, he encouraged me and even gave me data about the election thing in Americas and how people were reacting to it and with the information that he gave I was able to compose the song for Barack Obama. The basic thing is that when you need to do something you need someone to back you up.

WM: Are you into politics?

Aishat: Well, I’m not into politics but I am a musician for politicians, I believe I can use songs to drive home the messages these politicians want to pass to the people, but I am not a politician am just advocating for them through my songs.

WM: Are you married?

Aishat: Not yet and not searching but it will be very soon Insha Allah.

WM: Your music could take you out at any time, so is your hubby to be prepared for this sort of juggling up and down?

Aishat: He is very much in support and tries to give me all the encouragement that I need.

WM: So tell us how has life being since you ventured into music?

Aishat: Well, I would say I thank my God because since I started I have not really faced any hurdles neither have I regretted any actions rather it has been success all the way. Life has been very interesting because I have met a lot of people who have one way or the other influenced my life, in fact Alhamdullilahi.

WM: Is there anything spectacular about your growing up years that you remember?

Aishat: My growing up years was very interesting as I remember vividly I disliked making my hair and anytime they wanted to plait my hair I always carried if my father was around because he would never allow them to touch my hair, so they made sure that they only decided to make my hair when my father was not around and somehow my father would always come around at that moment and immediately I hear the sound of his car I would start wailing and shouting which I did not do before and my father would come and save me and I would start laughing and making jest of them. It was quite interesting with the little pranks we usually played in those days. There is nothing comparable to those years it is only that we all need to grow into adults, if not to me childhood is one stage of fun no one wants to ever grow out from.

WM: Have you ever tried to do collaboration with any of your colleagues in the music industry?

Aishat: Not yet.

WM: So are you saying your music is just based in the north……………

Aishat: Not really as I am working towards spreading my wings to cover the whole country and not just the north.

WM: Have you ever thought of going into acting?

Aishat: I have never dreamt of it and I would not want to…..

WM: Why this decision, do have something against them?

Aishat: I have nothing against them but I have my own personal reason and I equally do not sing for them too. It’s basically personal.

WM: What makes you kind of music different?

Aishat: my music is different because it deals with individuals, who they are and what you want to do about your people, it’s quite different from what we have in our everyday kind of music about experiences.

WM:  Have you thought of singing a song for our leaders to let them know what the ordinary masses are facing?

Aishat: well, I am planning for that.

WM: Could you tell the dignitaries you have sang for in the past asides Barack Obama?

Aishat:  There was a time the muhammed Abacha’s wife gave birth to twins, I composed a song and took it to the house and we all danced to it and I also sang for the first lady Hajiya Turai Yaradua when she was invited to Maiduguri for the HIV Awareness.

WM: Do you have any affiliation with Niger people on you band?

Aishat: No, those on my band are all Nigerians and they are being paid salary.

WM: What gives you joy?

Aishat: The greatest joy that I had was when the music ‘mother is great’ hit the market and it got a lot of response and appreciation and at the end of it all it won me an award. Another thing that gives me joy is that when I look back I thank God for giving my father the opportunity to send all of us to school, we are nine in number and I am the seventh child and my father’s favourite.

WM: What do you have to say about the Nigerian music industry?

Aishat: The Nigerian music industry has gotten to a high level where the Nigerian and even foreign audience appreciate it more than before. And I see it going further if the industry is given the necessary encouragement.

WM: Who are your role models in the industry?

Aishat: King Sunny Ade, Dan maraya, Dbanj, Tony Tetuila and 2face.

WM: So what next for you now?

Aishat: As I have a composed album, which is yet to be released, all I have been releasing into the market are just singles but right now I am working towards making sure that my album is released.

WM: Your ring tone is one directed to immigration; could you please explain what that was all about?

Aishat: There was a time I went to do my e-passport and I met one immigration supretendant and he was very nice to all of us that came that day and made sure that, we did not face any hurdles and within two days our passport was ready and I wanted to show my appreciation by composing a song for him and to also show people that doing good is the ultimate in this world and they could also follow in the footsteps of this man.

WM: Tell us if you did not go into music what would you have done?

Aishat: I really do not know because I believe that singing is what the Almighty has destined for me. I cannot imagine what I would have done without music, because music is my life. When I graduatd in 1995 from I worked with different NGOs and then moved on to join the Kabo Air Cabin crew and from there I worked with freedom radio and decided that music was for mw and not any of those that I earlier did.

WM: What do you have to say to your fans?

Aishat: I only ask for their support and encouragement as they are my back bone and that they should keep believing in me as my best is yet to come.