‘Stevie Wonder set me rolling’

How have you fared in an industry that is regarded as male-dominated?I am grateful to God and also thank the men for accepting me. It started off very smoothly for me. I guess I can say I have been highly favoured. So far, it has been good and after me there have been other female […]

How have you fared in an industry that is regarded as male-dominated?
I am grateful to God and also thank the men for accepting me. It started off very smoothly for me. I guess I can say I have been highly favoured. So far, it has been good and after me there have been other female drummers who have come into limelight. I guess this goes to say the men folk have come to accept the fact that we are here.

You have a peculiar brand associated with Ara. How did that come about?
Drumming came naturally to me. It was my first attraction of all the musical instruments. In my primary and secondary schools I was the head of the drummers. I know it was strange for people back then. Also, I am a descendant of the Alaafin of Oyo on my maternal side and you know Oyo is the hub of the Yoruba heritage and the talking drum is synonymous with the palace. It is inborn and my two-year-old son is already picking interest in it and actually tries his hands on my drums, although he is tearing them apart for now.

How are you able to juggle the home-front and your career?
Marriage has been very eventful and fulfilling for me. Also, trust and the friendship my husband and I share have been the major sustaining point for us both. I usually have them around me, particularly my son when I am on my tours or have to work out of town.
Hard work and a lot of discipline have also paid off greatly because no matter how busy my career is I try to draw the line between my work and my time with my family.  I multi-task; I’m able to do several things at the same time. I cook and do my washing and attend to my son when he wants something; all at the same time. I don’t have any house help so I have to organize myself properly. In the heat of all these, I get ideas and inspirations for songs and have to record on-the-spot on my phone.
It is what I love to do. So, I don’t see it as unusual or difficult.

What was working with Stevie Wonder like?
I met him in Ghana where he asked me If I wanted to be in his album. (Laughter) I was like, ‘what a question.’ Of course, I’d like to; I mean there was no asking me. Who would not want to be on Stevie Wonder’s album? In 2004 Stevie invited me to Los Angeles. At the time he had not recorded anything in about ten years.
I featured in two of his tracks and spent two weeks there. It was an experience of a life time for me.
His energy and stamina was really amazing. One time we worked until 4am. I found it really astonishing that after all his achievements and the challenge of his sight, he still worked as hard as he did. That gave me the push to strive higher, and it reminded me I was only just beginning my move up the ladder. He introduced me to Prince which added some spice to my experience.
I think he was all the inspiration I needed to set me rolling.

How has the meeting transformed or affected your work style and creativity?
It transformed me immensely. I remember returning home and it was all over the place that Ara recorded with Stevie. So, that was like setting me on a new pedestal with people’s expectations of me going higher.
We maintained contact and he would sometimes call me to say somebody wanted to speak with me because they enjoyed my drumming as well as give me motivational tips to improve my work.
My style didn’t change but the interaction made me more determined to do more and better than what I was already doing as well as focus. I aimed higher too. I got back to Nigeria and was writing songs every now and again.
One thing he said to me which stuck is, “Hey Ara, I have over a thousand and one songs in my archives I have not even recorded.” I was like wow. I have a gift of writing songs and I decided to put it to maximum use whether I need them for now or not. 
Generally, it would be considered unusual for a young girl to take an interest in drums. Were you embarrassed at any point, were you teased about it?
I was lucky because my family didn’t object. It didn’t come across as a surprise to them. So, as far as I had the support at home I went all out for it. I was a tomboy and when I played I can say that I was interesting to listen to. (laughing)
The only unusual thing was the talking drum which really is a male thing even though a few of us ladies are breaking that norm. Though I believe somewhere in the remote areas especially of Osun and Oyo there are some female talking drum players who have not got recognition for their work. I was just lucky because I got so much publicity for it.
I didn’t have anyone to teach me; they all just shied away from it one way or the other. So, what I did was to buy CDs of legendary musicians and I played along. I also watched my talking drummers play and listened to them. That’s how I picked it up. Some days I would just go out and with Mother Nature I would listen to the sounds around of birds, by the hills and all that and just play along. Gradually, I developed my skills until they got to this stage.

What does music mean to you; is it an escape route, art or simply a way of life of expressing yourself?
Music is my best way of expression. It helps me express my moods and feelings at any point in time. It definitely is a way of expressing myself.
I have heard musicians who describe music as a picture of one’s life at the moment. I think that is an apt description.
My upcoming album is a sixteen-tracker where I have dealt with a variety of issues which I am concerned about or interested in. I suddenly realize that the lyrics bordered on experiences I had some three, four years ago, last week, and so on. My experiences form a major part of my songs.

What are things that life has taught you that you would like to pass on to your children?
Above all, to fear God and then believe that everything will come in its due season. Some people say the greatest is education but for me it is the fear of God.  When you have God you have everything and it clears the path for you. I am teaching him to pray now. His father is a Muslim and I am happy to see him bowing his head in prayers when his father prays and saying Amen to the prayers.
I had my early education in Delta, Akure then studied law for one year at the University of Ilorin and left to study music which was my initial choice. But my parents felt I was very intelligent and vocal and wanted me to do law but I wanted to do performing arts. We had our misunderstandings and I left to do music before going to Ambrose Ali University to study English. I was in my second year going to the third when I left again to go back to music. That’s what I settled with eventually.

How do you find parents’ tussle with their children wanting them to go in a certain line?
I believe that parents should study their children right from childhood and know what their strengths and weakness are and encourage them in that line. My thinking is that no matter the field you find yourself in or how easy it seems, we all need education to get by in our chosen fields.
What informs your choice of style?
When it came for me to create an identity for myself, I looked around… My stage name, Ara, is coined from my real name, Aralola. Ara in Yoruba means mystery, wonder; so I said what will people see that will make them go wow? Something that will bring about positive controversy. I remembered that I used to love Indian movies where the women had long hair. I decided I would go and do long braids. I had seen people with very long weave-ons but never braids that long.
The first day I did this I had kids carrying empty tins and singing after me ‘mammy water o, mammy water;’ then I said, yes, I have achieved what I want.

How do people react when they see you in public?
I think I can describe myself as down-to-earth. I love to go to the market to do my shopping and then come back home to do the cooking. I love to pick my vegetables and prepare my ingredients myself. So, I always have to tie my hair and make sure it is completely covered up whenever I go to the market.
The day I tried it, it caused a commotion and I never repeated it after then. Some of the comments were very unpleasant. Some said, “What is this again; you wan take am do curtain?” It makes me laugh sometimes because it means I am doing something unusual. But as much as I can, I try to avoid the controversy so that I can go to the market like every normal woman.
I balance my life very well and spend quality time with my family. I am not an outgoing person. So, it gives me time to stay at home when I am not working.

What other instruments do you play?
I play mostly percussion instruments. I play bata, iya-ilu, and had an interesting performance in Paris earlier in the year when I, along with my drummers, infused it into classical music.  I have tried the keyboard but left it half way when work came calling. It is something I really would like to perfect my skills at. I also dance a lot; though not in recent times.

You performed at UNESCO’s sixtieth anniversary. What was the experience like considering the fact that many may not have imagined the possibility of infusing traditional African drums into Symphony?
That was something else entirely. Preparing for it, there were questions here and there, but, we set out for it, it was the perfect blend. My bit was tagged the Heartbeat of the concert and we did justice to it as we gave the audience a new dimension to classical music.