My storm is behind me -K-Solo

K-Solo

K-Solo became a celebrity by virtue of producing several hit songs that include Klever Jay’s Konikoni

Love and Kefee’s Kokoroko. He was also the one who discovered Timaya and produced many of his hits including True Story. He has also worked with King Sunny Ade, Muma Gee and Sunny Neji. He has however been quiet on the music scene for some time and he told BIODUN ALADE why.

Why did you go into music?

Music is a passion for me. It is my life. It is something I love to do, and when it started bringing me money, I studied it more. I went further in it because I wanted to be an authority in it, and I am rightly that. But mind you, when it comes to my finances, even if I can no longer do music, I will live and still live large.

The year is fast coming to an end. How was this year for you?

I will say it was a very nice year for me. It helped me to repackage. I will never forget 2013 because I started it on a sad note but it’s ending happily for me. Many people thought the end had come for me, career-wise, but I became stronger. In the midst of the storm I encountered, I learnt new things and was also able to determine the strength of my fan base, especially outside the country. Although the storm crumbled part of the K-Solo empire, I am still grateful to God for the chance to rebuild. And if I could go through that storm and still remain standing and strong, then 2013 has been a very good year for me.

When you say storm, are you referring to your marriage scandal?

Yes. I prefer to call it storm.

Tell us about your marriage problem.

I do not speak about it anymore. It is behind me. At this point in my life, I am focused only on the rebuilding process I’m going through, so I’ve decided that my personal life should remain personal to me.

Since the scandal, you haven’t been really visible musically. Some people say you have quit music because of the scandal. Have you?

It is a lie. I never quit music, and I thank God you are conducting this interview in my studio. During the controversy, which I prefer to call storm, I lost my dad, so I had to take over his company, which became my responsibility, so I had to dedicate less time to music. I therefore decided to be off the scene temporarily, if not for anything, to refill myself and make sure I become better than I was. Like I always tell people, there should be a time to refresh yourself so that you don’t fade out. But did not pack up or back out of the industry. I do my work more professionally now. There is a classical touch to my jobs nowadays. That’s why it seems as if I’m off the scene. I no longer do just any job, it must be worth it. In the past, I did a lot of production based on brotherhood, friendship and all that and sadly, some of the artistes messed up at the end. It was for the love of music then, but now, I’m wiser to do things in a more professional way. And it is only in this country that people read a lot to your personal life more than what you do and if you are off the scene for a few days, they conclude that you have quit the industry. When last did Dr. Dre produce before he came out with Beats by Dr.Dre (Beats Electronics), which is now a leading name? So, it is advisable that Nigerian entertainers are also involved in other line of businesses as well. Thank God for people like Mike Adenuga who invest money in us. How much do you think a producer or an artist makes from an album, considering the level of piracy in the country? Well, by the grace of God, I am picking a new act, Antivirus, with the intention of building an empire for a good number of artistes. As a versatile producer, I will pick artistes with different genres of music, including juju.

Is it true that you stopped producing upcoming artists?

I did not stop producing upcoming artists. I just put a pause to it. I have been at the forefront in discovering new acts in this industry. The names Timaya and Klever Jay will easily come to mind regarding that, but I also contributed to a good number of others. Well, as I said earlier, I put a pause to it because most of them were messing around after you invest your time and resources on them.  And I discovered that I was lagging on a personal level because I dedicated so much to these upcoming artists so I had to stop and refresh. But I’m going to be pushing out upcoming artists next year, so I’m still working with them, I just took a pause from them to repackage myself and come out better.

Who would you say has been this year’s most outstanding artist?

It is an easy pick for me. Wizkid is the act that has done so well this year. He was a boy that came from the grass from the days of sleeping in the studio with OJB before he was handpicked by Banky W who upgraded his music sense and he was flexible enough to learn. He is a boy that is growing by the day. If you check out the music he did early this year and what he is doing now, there is a lot of maturity in it. In his genre, he is the best.

Is there anything on your mind you’ll like to say?

I will advise everybody to be good. This world will be a better place for all of us if we are good to one another. If you are a good person, you will not stab somebody and you will not aim at destroying another person as whatever you sow, you will reap.