Olamide Reveals - "Music Took Me Away From Wandering About The Streets"

It is always fun time when one speaks with Olamide. He’s a friendly entertainer who understands his game very well and has consistently churned out hit tracks. Tribune recently caught up with Olamide where he opened up on his career and how he plans to remain relevant. Excerpts:
What has been happening to Olamide?
A lot of good things have been happening to me and my crew. I have been doing what I love doing and I am getting paid for it. That ordinarily comes with a good feeling, I can’t deny that. I have a lot of things that I am working on right now and we are working day and night to meet up with the demands of the industry. Which is staying on top of your game while you can, having in mind that the phase will soon pass. You have to make sure that you make your stay worth the while.

Is this why you have featured in different singles  more than any other artiste lately and what are you trying to achieve with this?
You know people are very funny. When I was not featuring in other people’s albums or singles, they were the ones saying on twitter and other social media platforms that Olamide is proud, he’s not friendly and all sorts of things that you can’t imagine. But now that I have been working with a whole lot of artistes in the industry, they have come out to say I should give myself a break. I wonder what the people really want? The truth is that you can’t live your life for the people. You have to do what you feel is right for you to keep your career on the right track.

So, you don’t care about what people say about you anymore?
I didn’t mean it like that. What I am trying to say is that if you continue to listen to what people say every time before making your decision, you may not make the right decision at the end of the day and you may also make the right decision. What is important is your attitude to what you do. It does not mean you won’t listen to them or take to their pieces of advice, you just have to be truthful to yourself and make sure you are doing what you believe is in the best interest of your career. I just want to remain on top of my game. I know I have what it takes to run the show for as long as God permits me.  But time will tell. I am growing by the day and I am enjoying every bit of my moment in the industry.

You once said that your hustling days are over, but you don’t seem to be slowing down. You are always at every major show around town…
I am an ambitious young man. I love to always push myself to the limits. We have a lot of things going on in the industry now that would really make you sit tight and buckle up. Asides that, I have gone through a lot before I could arrive at this level, to God be the glory. When I look at where I was coming from and where I am today, it only reminds me of one thing, never stop dreaming big and don’t ever look down on yourself even if nobody believes in you. You have to make sure you have got what it takes to stand the test of time. Olamide didn’t just arrive over night. It has been a very rough journey, but God has been good to me. The truth is that people have not seen the best of Olamide. 

You said one should not look down on his or her self; it seems you have a lot beneath that sentence. Could you share some of those rough experiences with us?
Everybody knows my story or let me say I try to let people know my story with the way I sing so that you won’t come and tell me tomorrow or the people that you did or that for me when I was this or that. When I compose my songs, I always try to bring my rough days into retrospect. I remember how I waited many years for my single to be promoted. I was always told to wait. When I couldn’t wait anymore, I had to look for another way round it. A lot of people turned me down because they didn’t believe in me. I have nothing against them because that’s life for you. Everybody can’t believe in your dream, even if it is the most beautiful one. Today, it is practically difficult for anybody to come out and say what I had already said about myself in most of my songs. 

Why did you say that?
You know people are funny. I am sure you are aware of how some people could wake up one day and start saying what is not true about your life. So, in order not to be shocked when you hear or see something like that, you have to prepare your mind and that of your fans. I always sing about the story of my life in my songs so that if you say something about it tomorrow, the people would tell you that they heard me say it before.

Now that your dream has been fulfilled and you can also stand on your own, what’s the feeling like?
I feel great. I feel honoured. I feel so happy. But above all, I thank God, to whom I give all glory. 

Are you surprised to have arrived at this level?
To an extent, my rise came as a shock but at the same time, my only wish since I was young was to rise above my peers and make a name for myself in whatever good I find myself doing. I strived hard to come out with something everybody would appreciate, plus the recognition that has marked my career. I will say my rise to stardom has not been a fluke. I have worked tirelessly over the years trying to break into the industry and studying the rules of the game so as to become relevant. You don’t want to know how I waited and prayed to taste fame.

How has music changed your life?
Let me say that music took me away from wandering about the streets to doing the right thing at the right time. It has reshaped my life and taught me that hard work, talent and God’s grace are very important in every man’s life. I can say it boldly that those who never believed in me can now see that I carry a special grace. That is why I will remain grateful to ID Cabassa. He was one of the good people God used to turn my life around. I won’t say more than that because I know you would want to probe me further.

Now that music has taken you away from the streets, what do you miss most about it?
I really didn’t miss anything except for the life on the streets. I never wanted to remain on the streets. I have learnt a lot of lessons my brother, but one thing that readily comes to my mind each time I remember where I was coming from is the fact that the secret of success goes beyond making good music. Every right-thinking artiste must possess a good character to sustain the success that comes his way. You must have the character that could help you sustain the test of time. Trust me; rising to stardom comes with a lot of challenges, but you can only overcome them when you have a good sense of understanding