Though trained as a lawyer, with the release of an EP The Truth, Maka is set to barrel her way into global music consciousness with her brand of soul music. She spoke to Joe Agbro Jr about the excitement and challenges of her journey thus far
YOUNG, fresh-faced, bespectacled and spotting a square-cut, she cuts a boyish look. And with her colourful outfits, she easily comes across as being arts-inclined. She is Maka, soul musician and lawyer. Born Nwamaka Sam Ejehu in (1991 or 1992) in Lagos, Maka who hails from Imo State practically grew up on the Akoka campus of the University of Lagos. While she lost her father who had degrees in law and engineering and worked as a banker when she was very young, her mother practically was both her ‘mother and father.’
“My parents both went to Unilag and my mum became a staff of Unilag,” said Maka who has two brothers.
“My dad died when I was a little girl. I was raised by mum and she has been doing a lot with God’s help. Growing up was fun. My mum played the role of a father and mother. I went to amusement parks like other kids, I went to Ikoyi Club because we’re members of Ikoyi Club.”
She also admits she was a bit of tomboy.
“That was even more fun for me because I didn’t care about the things girls did, the conservativeness of girls, I didn’t have that. I was always playing and jumping. So I had a terrific time. I’m still like that.”
Her tomboyish streak also informed her signature hair style. “I cut my hair in SS 1 but then when I entered Unilag, I let it grow back. I went back to the weaves and the braids.”
However, after finishing from the Nigerian Law School, she reverted back to cutting her hair.
But it wasn’t just her hair style that Kano fixed. Her music too also changed.
About taking to music, Maka said music runs in her family and it was of little surprise in the family when she declared she was pursuing a music career, starting from her grandfather, even though only she and a cousin in America have taken it as a career.
“My brother plays keyboard. Everyone is musically inclined in my family. When I told them that I wanted to take music as a career, they were like, ‘finish school first, get called to bar and then you can do what you like. So, I struggled with that in Unilag, the school of excellence where everything is there – social life, religion, run – everything. I really struggled with music and law.”
Maka said she knew that while she was studying Law at University of Lagos, her heart was really in making music. But she felt she needed a plan to enter the music industry.
“The question was how would I enter? I had to rebrand myself.”
For Maka, part of that rebranding included singing soul music which she turned to while in Law school at Bagauda, Kano.
“We had a lake running through my campus,” she reminisced.
“That was like my favourite reading spot. I would always go to the lake. I have my table and my chair and my books. And I’m just reading, studying for the bar. Or sometimes, I’m writing my music. I don’t know, that place just changed me. I wasn’t all about making music just to please people and make money, get rich, you know. I said I would do music for myself and people would connect to that dexterity in my music. When you listen to something good, you can’t lie. When you see beauty, you can’t say, ‘oh, she’s ugly’ when it’s beautiful. It’s not possible.
“I started writing all the music, I was coming to Lagos to start recording.”
Hence, following her call to the bar in November 2014, Maka reached out to her friend, David Lanre Messan (DLM), an ideas strategist. Messan who is popularly known as DLM eventually formed a company Trogge Urban and he became her manager.
And on August 2015, in tandem with DLM, Maka the musician was officially unveiled with the launch of her first single titled Ife. While Ife got air play, Maka is following up with an EP titled The Truth launched on April 16, at a concert held at Freedom Park, Lagos.
A few days to the event, she gushed: “I’m very excited. I’m scared, I’m nervous. I’m everything. I’m excited because I’ve always wanted to do this. I’m scared because I’ve not done it before. This is my concert. I just want it to be a success.
“I’m working hard for me to give the people my best, to give myself the best. And I know whatever I put out is going to be loved by not just Nigerians, it is going to be loved by Africa, it is going to be loved by the world.”
She had already gained many fans. Her music, which she calls ‘Afro-Soul’ encompasses jazz and hip hop and The Truth has tracks like Circle, FMH, Forever, Good Time, Lagos, Mu Na Gi and Roll Call which she and her producer, DJ Teck-Zilla, had been working on it since last year.
“I like to tell people that apart from being a musician, I’m a lawyer, instead of apart from being a lawyer, I’m a musician.”
But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t like law.
“I am very proud to call myself a lawyer,” she said.
“The knowledge is still applicable in my music because there are times that I have to read some legal documents and I don’t have to go call somebody else to interpret it for me. I do my own interpretations. I also do some legal work. I still draft contracts; I still register companies for some people. So, once you study a professional course, you can never be broke because money will always come.”
Though Maka is not yet signed to a record label. Perhaps, it is because of her notion of how record companies operate.
“Record labels sometimes can be really tough, especially, if you’re someone who is very ambitious” she said.
“Sometimes, they feel D is the right way and you might feel E is the best way for you. Because you have put down things on paper, you cannot go outside what you signed. You practically signed your life with them. So you must go according to the term of the contract, otherwise, it’s a breach which brings about the law suit and nobody wants to go through all that. So, the safest thing is if you have your money, your adequate capital to start your record label.”
But she knows it is beyond just starting a recording label.
“You must know how to strategically start that record label and be successful at it,” she said.
“So many people have started record labels and the record labels are no more now because people just think it’s about money. You also have to have a good business plan. But basically, it’s safer to have your own record label because you will have the latitude to do what you want. But that record label must be run by someone who knows the business, who knows the music business, not just by one rich man who has money and does not know what to do with it because that record label will not go far.”
And while she’s not signed to a record label, Maka is optimistic of making it in the music industry.
“You have to sell content because that’s what would actually push you,” said Amaka whose favourite artistes include Amy Winehouse, Asa, Sade Adu, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole. She also loves Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill, Ludacris and Eminem.
“And I’m with a team that is very hard-working. And I know that slow and steady wins the race. That’s just my motto for this music industry. For my hustle, I’m just about slow and steady. I don’t care how long but I know that when I get there, I’m staying there. It’s not just about getting there. It’s about staying there.”
“I’m just happy because people have already connected to my passion, even as a soul singer. My fan-base keeps growing every day. People have enjoyed my music. And yeah, being a soul singer has been awesome and I should have done this a long time ago.”
And while guys chase Maka who is still single, she says facing music doesn’t allow her to date.
“My music keeps me very busy,” she said.
“I’m married to my career.”
