Love is the answer to Nigeria's problems -Imanse

Imanse is one of the many Nigerians who’ve returned to the country from their overseas bases to fit back into Nigeria’s sectors. In Imanse’s case, music is the sector she’s trying to make headway in, and she told OSEYIZA OOGBODO BLOG that she will rule the music industry in the nearest future. What’s the focus of your music? My focus is on love. You know they say ‘love is the greatest,’ ‘love makes the world go round’ and all that. Well, love seems to cover everything. Within its context, you will find everything else. Love for family, friends of both sexes, God, country and other people. It’s not just portraying or lamenting about what is going on in the society that’s important, but also what we can do about it and I think love is the answer. Love is a verb. It’s proactive. At what point did you decide to take up music? It was way before I actually did. I thought about it and talked about it for like three years but I couldn’t work up the courage to do it. It took me time to find the guts to eventually make the move. What happened to your guts? They failed you? Not really. It was a question of how you explain it to the people around you. It wouldn’t make complete sense to them considering how they’ve trained me and what they expected of me. You were in the US. Why are you doing music in Nigeria and not in the US? Well, I’ve always been fascinated with Nigerian music and wanted to be part of it … and I couldn’t be part of it from there. What fascinates you about Nigerian music? I love our sound. I love the fact that we are growing as an industry. I have been following things here for a while and then finally decided the time was right. It was like ‘now or never!’ But does it make sense leaving the stability of the US for Nigeria? It’s not just me. A lot of other people have taken that risk at so many different levels. They left better conditions than the one I was in to come back home. The thing is, you can’t come back home with a double mind, with a soft mind. You have to be all in to be just to stand a chance. So you came back with a plan, saved up all you needed and all that? No, I don’t have like all the money and everything, but slowly and surely we’ll get there. A lot of people, who start this journey, whether abroad or here, don’t start with everything. If you’re going to be something, you will be. So you believe in destiny? Of course. Which Nigerian musicians have inspired you the most? Asa. First and foremost. I remember when her first album came out. It’s one of the best albums I’ve ever heard in a long time. They were playing it everywhere. Barbecues, bars, lounges. Another thing I heard that got me was 2faces’ African Queen which was the soundtrack to the movie, Phat Girlz. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Then of course there is Fela. The boldness of his messages, his craftsmanship, the rawness of his sound, the afrocentricity of the whole thing. That’s why he’s celebrated worldwide. A true voice of Africa. Apart from these three, almost everyone here inspires me. Their pure resilience, work rate, belief, their outputs, just amazing. Tiwa Savage, Flavour, Omawunmi. What they have done here helped inspire me to come back. Are there people you would like to work with? Definitely. I would love to do a duet with Patoranking. He simply has so much soul. Asa and 2face of course. Flavour too. So what is different about what you are bringing to the table? Anything distinct about your music? I like to fuse genres. My first song is a fusion of afrobeat and soul. The next song is a fusion of R & B and highlife. I like to fuse. I love to create. As long as I can be creative and successfully do that, one day Nigeria will ‘recognize.’ You feel you have what it takes to blow here? Of course. Of course. I recognize the fact that a lot of people are out there trying and some are succeeding more than others. I recognize that life offers no guarantees, but I strongly believe that if you work very hard and focus on improving the quality of your output, there’s nothing that can hold you back. So if this doesn’t work out the way you planned, would you go back to your banking job in the US? There is no going back. We are here. We are doing this. Will do mainstream music as long as I can, then who knows what next? Judge talent shows, coach other artists, talk shows. The entertainment industry here is going to keep growing. There is so much to do, so much to plug in to. So you have been enjoying the industry? Enjoying? I enjoy what I’m doing, the process, the lessons, the friendships, but I’m not sure one can say they are ‘enjoying’ the industry till one reaches a certain level of success as an artist. Has there been any kind of pressure? There is pressure to do the kind of music that is popular. Pressure to play it safe and conform to what everyone else is doing, not doing love songs and expressing yourself. A lot of pressure to go ‘commercial.’ You know when they are doing the big shows, they don’t usually call those who are pouring their hearts out talking about love and all. How have you been taking it? I think I’m taking it well. I understand that it isn’t an overnight thing. I know nothing comes easy. Some people, it takes eight songs before they get their hit. Some take ten years. So I think I’m doing OK so far. How are you coping with male fans and admirers? Male admirers? They admire you. There is nothing you can do about that. No bad encounters? Nothing out of the ordinary really. As a woman you learn to respect yourself and appreciate them. There is no wahala there. Since you’ve come back, have you had any memorable experience? Is there any experience that stands out? Let’s talk about the fuel scarcity! That was a memorable experience! There was so much I had to do. Photo shoot, recordings, but we couldn’t do anything. No movement. It was scary on the Sunday because no one was selling. Felt like a war zone. Like there was some kind of zombie apocalypse. So do you feel like running back to the US? No. I’m not going give up that easily. I know people who have run back to the States after two months after selling all they had to come back to Nigeria but there’s no going back for me.