LAMI PHILLIPS

Lami Phillips is a singer, actor and creative entrepreneur. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, she talks about her passion, how her grandmother inspired her, challenges in the sector and more.

What or who inspired you to go into music?

I wouldn’t say that something in particular inspired me to go into music. I think music chose me. I was surrounded by music while I was growing up.

My grandma used to teach piano and my dad used to bring a lot of records home and I was surrounded by all kinds of music from blues to jazz to country, gospel to even Yoruba music like apala music.

So, music chose me and I don’t think that there was a particular moment that I said I wanted to go into music.

So, I think it has just been a journey for me; from singing in choirs and competing in boarding schools in England. And coming back to Nigeria and deciding to put a body of work together and that journey just continued.

What are some of the things that you have done?

Apart from being in different theatre productions, I have starred in Saro the musicals, by Bolanle Austin Peters. For me, I think that theatre has been the most expansive experience in that you are combining acting, music and dance or movement.

The reaction from your audience is usually quite immediate and it demands more from you as an artist. In my field, I find that to be more of an organic experience and it just keeps me on my toes, keeps my intellect sharp, keeps me improving on myself. So, I would say that has been my core.

Apart from that, obviously, I have travelled, sang and toured on different stages that I am privileged to have been on. I have also worked and collaborated with different people and I think that speaks for itself.

I am not somebody taking up things and saying I have done this and that. My quest for myself has been just to continue to improve on my craft and just now the focus for me is the EP journey and how that raises the bar, raises the standard of my expectation of myself.

Tell us about life as a singer

The life of a singer is very interesting. It is like a daily adventure; you are not sure which way things are going to go but you just keep putting one foot in front of the other. What is most interesting for me is being a song writer and just being able to put the words that become melodies, become songs.

That is really exciting for me. Being a singer in Nigeria and particularly in Africa is extremely challenging, especially when you are a woman and you have a family to balance. I think we are still working on our interpretation of what that means as a society and I think that we have a long way to go in encouraging women in the entertainment industry and not looking down on them and saying negative things about women in the entertainment industry. So, life for me as a singer in Nigeria is a challenge but it is a challenge that I find interesting. I am looking forward to what the other stages of life as a singer would unfold. I enjoy going around and performing. I enjoy meeting people.

I enjoy doing promo stuffs and just getting the feedback of the audience when they have listened to new songs or even old songs that you have done. It is really rewarding, I still don’t get used to people recognising me. I like myself as one of those private entertainers; that is one of the things that I would ever get used to.

I hate the occupational hazards of having to shoot and completely hate red carpet and make-up and all those kind of things. Give me a pair of jeans, tee shirts and trainers any day. Those give comfort but we do what we have to do to get things moving.

What were you doing before music and what was the experience like?

I am not sure what that journey was because my life as an artist has grown simultaneously with my life as a singer. I would say that even while I was in school, doing my first, second and third degrees in Gboko music school and theatre school, I was always trying as much as possible to improve on a talent and understand myself better as an artist, as an entertainer learning what it means to stand in front of an audience to perform songs that has been written by somebody else or by me. But as all of those things have happened to me, my professional qualifications, also as business consultant, leadership coach, image consultant, counsellor has been great. I try as much as possible to use every facet of my life because one of my goals in life is just to die empty.

When was the turning point for you?

So, if you ask me what the turning point or highlights of my life has been, I can’t really mention one particular point because almost every other day of my life has a highlight.

I am a wife and a mother and so just waking up in the morning and seeing my family is a highlight. Or coming in contact with somebody who says that in one way or another I have impacted their lives is a highlight for me.

So, I don’t wait or I am not one of those people who have a destination syndrome. I am not sitting somewhere, waiting for life to happen.

Our industry in Nigeria has changed a lot. It has become big but there is a lack of structure that is coupled or troubled by an influx of lot of people who believe that a lot of people see things on the social media and believe that it is really easy to do this thing. The other day, I was talking on my instagram page about how we as entertainers don’t talk about the challenges that we face, For me, they are challenges that have to do with financial and investments into our music.

To promote one song realistically is about six million naira. By the time you think about shooting your video, promoting it especially now that we have the unsaid payola structures that nobody likes to talk about.

There is a challenge that you make music that you can listen to from now and still be proud of. It might not bring you the wealth that you want but it would give you peace of mind.

I am also feeling that now, we have become superficial in our perception and expectations of each other when you are an entertainer. We are getting carried away; plastic surgery, always having your face made, weave-on and all those things.

While that is all nice, but I think as artists, we owe it to our listeners, our generation, to give them art that comes from your soul; that isn’t just stuffs that you are saying but stuffs that you believe in yourself. But that is just me; not everybody would buy into the way I am thinking. Also as a woman, I think that there are challenges.

We don’t support the women in this industry enough, we don’t give them enough of a platform. We make them feel that there is only room for one and we don’t give them that to the men.

I also think that we have objectified the way too long in the Nigerian industry and that is why when you sit by TV, you see men who are fully clad in their clothes and you see girls who are half naked.

At least, twelve girls trolling around one fully dressed man. I think that is absurd and I think that, again, is just me.

So, there are these unrealistic expectations of women and no unrealistic expectations of men. I really wish that kind of expectations would be given to women where talent counts. I am happy to see people like Teni make it. I am happy that she is being her authentic self; she is being original and we are celebrating that.

We can keep that in the wind column and keep moving.

Let’s talk about some memorable moments in your life and career

The answer can change on different days; I am absolutely gutted about one thing or the other and very discouraging on some days. There are other days that I pick myself up and just keep pushing. The truth of the matter is that you can’t be anything but yourself. Every other person is taken.

So, I remind myself of that daily and one of the things that have helped me is that I surround myself with my day people. I don’t have fake people around me. I have people that keep me grounded and keep me focus on who I really am and what my purpose is on earth. There is no way for me to get lost in it all.

And if I am discouraged or feel like I am not going as fast as I’d like to go, these same people remind me that I am enough. So, I am blessed in that regard. I remember that there is life after all of this. We won’t be 80 years old and be trying to hop on the stage. There would be life after this by the grace of God. And for me, my focus is you have just got to leave a legacy behind, so that your children, grandchildren and generations after you are proud of you. That is what is timeless; the fame, fortune and all that is nice but that fades away at some point.

Who or what do you consider as the greatest influence in your life?

The greatest influence in my life and career is God Almighty. I am not one of those people who are ashamed to say that without God, I am absolutely nothing. God is the one who has given me the gift; a platform for people to even give a damn about who I am. God is the one who allowed me to have the talent to write, sing and have a message for myself and for my generation.

Anything that I am comes from God and that is my biggest influence. That is the biggest voice on my mind and I pray it stays that way. It is God that gives me the family that I have, keeps me healthy, blesses me every day and keeps shame away from my name. It is God that elevates me in spaces that according to my career path or qualifications I am not worthy. There are many rooms that I have been in, that I don’t think that my qualifications could have put me in.

In what ways has being a musician changed your lifestyle?

A lot has changed since I came to the scene in Nigeria. I remember that when I wanted to release my first song , a lot of people said people don’t listen to songs like this in Nigeria, they need a beat to dance to but I was really stubborn and today; I am glad that I was. I would say that the landscape of the industry has changed. Obviously, digitisation of music has helped a lot, essentially for people like me that chose the alternative vowel.

I would also say that we have so many other people and it might be difficult for listeners and radio stations to reel out quality. But it is good that people now see music as a viable career option and not something to joke about. So, I think that is a step in the right direction. I also want to see other musicians from Nigeria making waves like Wizkid, Davido,Tiwa and Yemi outside the country. That tells me that we are doing the right thing in one way or the other. I would say that my life as musician is a different lifestyle compared to somebody who just goes for a 9 to 5, but I still chose to look at it that way.

When I wake up in the morning, I still have to manage my time and balance my priorities. I don’t look at it as something I have to do by the side, off and on. I see it as a job and I try as much as possible to understand what my goals are. It is very difficult to be organised and structure yourself in this industry. As a wife and a mother, I also have to manage my time and I am grateful to have a husband and a support system that helps me with balancing all my responsibilities.

What are some of the lessons that you have learnt?

I have learnt to be true to myself. It sounds very cliché but I have seen a lot of people get lost in the industry because they are chasing rainbows that don’t exist. And they also find themselves in the company of people who don’t have their best interests at heart. I have also learnt not to allow the negativity of anybody change me from being a positive person and a good person.

I try really hard to make connections and be humble. I have learnt in this industry that humility and character would take you to places that money won’t. You can understand that when you look at people like Sound Sultan. He is one of the most humble people that I have ever met in my entire life; one of my best friends in the industry.

What is your definition of style?

Over the years, having employed or engaged different stylists, I realise that nobody knows you like yourself. My definition of style is expression of self. Comfort is key. I don’t believe that I should look or feel uncomfortable in anything that I wear. If it is for a shoot or something temporary, I could manage. I also think that it is important to stay elegant regardless of whatever it is that you are wearing.

Let’s talk about female musicians in the country today

They are super talented but completely unsupported by the industry at large. A lot of people don’t play their songs and many don’t understand that they don’t have the funding men have.

I also think that the females themselves have to learn to support each other. If you see a woman winning, you have to know that, that win is your win as well. We can’t continue to complain about what we don’t have. We have to focus on what we can do with what we have. I am really happy that we have people like Tiwa and Yemi in Beyonce’s album. I think it is fantastic, it’s a big win.