Why I’m compared to Asa – Bez

Weekend Magazine: Can you tell us a little about yourself? Bez: My name is Emmanauel Bez Idakula. I grew up in Jos and lived there for a couple of years. I went to Corona Primary School in Jos before   moving   to another primary school in Jos also called Kent Academy. In 1996, I went to […]

Weekend Magazine: Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Bez: My name is Emmanauel Bez Idakula. I grew up in Jos and lived there for a couple of years. I went to Corona Primary School in Jos before   moving   to another primary school in Jos also called Kent Academy. In 1996, I went to Layola Jesuit College, Abuja and graduated in 2002. I then moved on to Covenant University where I studied Information Communication Technology and that was when I really left Jos. I am from Nassarawa state, Karu Local Government Area.

When did you discover your love for music and why did you go into it?

When I was young, my dad used to play the guitar; it was something that was in the family. He used to sing with my mum as well, and most times they will sit down and record their songs on a tape. So, it was amazing to hear my parents’ voices coming out of the radio whenever they played the tape at home. Most times I will take a cassette tape and write my name on them. I think  that was how I could get to hear my voice on the radio. I never knew what I was thinking back then. So I had   developed the love for music way back from my childhood days. When I was nine years, I asked my dad to teach me the guitar as he saw that I was always playing with the one he had in the house. The bond between I and the guitar grew strong and that was it.

People refer to you as the male Asa. What do you have to say about this?

Yeah, people compare me to Asa a lot and I don’t really blame them for the comparison because Asa and I have a lot in common. We play the guitar, we wear glasses and we do the same genre of music. But our sounds are really different if you listen to hers and mine. The reason why they might also want to compare me to Asa is because the type of music is common around the world and Asa was the first person to come up with that kind of genre of music into Nigeria and it was widely accepted. So she sort of set the bench mark for whoever comes into this kind of music, so I think that is why they compare me with Asa. A lot of people compare me with John Legend as well

So would it be right to say you were inspired by Asa?

No, no, no…..maybe I will say we listen to the same kind of artistes, the American soul artistes, and the rock and roll from the 70s. When you listen to the rock and roll from the 60s or 70s or people like Indiana Aire etc, they all have our kind of sound. So, I think we listen to the same class of music. As at the time I was going into music proper, I hadn’t heard of Asa. It was later on I heard about her and I really liked her style and it was close to mine.

How long have you been in the music industry?

Five years now

So far, how has your songs been received by music lovers?

It has been well received by people. Most times it is played at the bar or any relaxation area and gradually people grew to like the songs. Most times I get kudos from people on the streets, commending my work and telling me how much they loved a particular song. People are really loving it and taking pictures with me. So it is really great that people have accepted the music here. It’s difficult to break into the market with this kind of music,  because Africans and Nigerians   love to dance and most times they don’t really care for lyrics. So when you have music that have lyrics and get people to listen to it, that to me is encouraging. So far people have accepted mine likewise have they started to accept it around the world too.

Most times you infuse Hausa language into some of your songs. Is this sort of an identity you intend to create for yourself?

I never really looked at it that way. Most times when I sing in Hausa that is how the song comes to me when I’m writing it. The way it comes to me that is how I write it, since I have never really used pigin English in any of my songs maybe I will try one of these days but for now I will make do with what I know and understand. I speak Hausa fluently likewise English and that is what I use.

You are a graduate of Layola Jesuit Secondary School, Abuja, six years ago the school lost 60 of its students in a plane crash. Do we see you doing a song for the 60 angels as they are fondly called by the students  one of these days?

The unfortunate incidence happened in 2005 and the following year we had a memorial service for them in school which I was part of. I have always attended all the memorial services. I sing and support in my capacity. A friend of mine also lost her sister in the crash and she started something known as the ‘MAC 60’ where we try to gather support in memory of the lost angels. I support the movement and I also support the school anytime I’m around. I haven’t thought about writing a song and dedicating it to them yet, maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea. But I will always support whenever I am called upon. It’s one memory that we woulod never fade away.

If you were not into music, what would you have been doing?

I would have been doing business, though I still do once in a while. One thing I would have focused more on is Industrial Design.

You play the guitar very well. What other musical instrument also do you play?

I play the piano very well and play the drums a little.

Who are your role models in the music industry?

My role model will surely be 2Face. He  has reached out and   has done a lot for the industry. For him to rise from grass to grace, I think it is really something that one can admire and relate to. So 2Face Idibia is my main role model in the industry. I look forward to collaborating with him in one of my videos soon.

One of your songs ‘That Stupid Song’was premiered on BET. How did you feel about it?

I was really excited and felt great. When that premiere happened, it struck me that this music had been accepted worldwide, people  love and requesting for it. For the fact that it was premiered on BET simply means that the stake is higher as we have a lot more work to do to keep the tempo going.

Can you tell us what ‘That Stupid Song’ and ‘Stop Pretending’ was all about or was it a personal experience you infused into your lyrics?

You won’t believe where I got the in inspiration of ‘Stop Pretending’ from. Anyway I wrote it when I was in the university in a boring class (Laughing). When you check my notes back then in the university, you will see all sorts of lyrics and sketches. I did that a lot in boring classes. It was something out of my imagination and I just wrote it down and created music around it. You can say boring classes did take me to another world (Laughing). ‘Stop Pretending’ was a very imaginative song and is still one of the best songs of my album.

For ‘That Stupid Song’, we were in studio Cohbams and we thought of doing a stupid song. You know how there are lot of songs playing on radio that really don’t make sense, but the song still goes on to be a big hit. Cohbams kept saying ‘Bez we need one stupid song in this your album o!’ so we recalled songs that we sang back in the days and that was how ‘That Stupid Song’ came about. But most times the inspirations for my lyrics in my music come naturally, I could ask for a few ideas here and there, but it is natural and I thank God for that.

WM: What wouldn’t you give up for anything in the world?

I wouldn’t trade my talent for anything. My talent is basically my purpose here on earth. This is what I was created for and there is no way I can trade it for anything in the world. I think is the same thing as saying I wouldn’t trade my career of being in the music industry for anything.

You grew up in Jos. What do you have to say about the situation there?

It’s really sad what is happening in Jos. Jos used to be a very peaceful and homely city, that is why a lot of music and artistic talents can come out of that town. But now it’s so horrible that people are leaving Jos every day. I pray everything goes back to normal and that the government can really do something quickly about the situation.

What has been your major challenge in the music industry?

My major challenge is that there are no channels to distribute music. Right now we are just distributing our music in Lagos and we are doing it through stores and shops. People keep calling to ask that they can’t get my music in Abuja, Port Harcourt and other places and it’s really very challenging.