Nigerian RnB songwriter and singer, Praise Ugbede Adejo better known as Praiz hit the limelight after he finished as second runner-up at the maiden edition of Project Fame West Africa. In this interview with JOE AGBRO JR., he talks about music, fame, cooperation among artistes and sundry issues.
IN these times when you find record labels and artistes going their separate ways, what has actually kept you with X3rm music?
What has kept me going in X3rm music for the past eight years is the fact that we’re family and it’s beyond just business. X3rm Music believed in me when nobody did. And for me, it is very significant and the way Mr. Steve Babaeko takes me as his brother, as his son. I mean, we’ve built a relationship that goes beyond business.
Like they say, not art for art’s sake; you still need the money. How much of this is actually coming in?
When I look at my career from when I got signed in 2010 and now. I mean, all I can say is ‘God is good.’ I mean, there’s been a drastic change in my life, in every part of my life. So, definitely growth is needed but I mean when the thing is right, I think we’ll know what to do. But right now, everyone is happy and we’re only just hoping for the best.
How are you guys finding a way around piracy at X3rm Music?
To be honest, it’s very heart-breaking because, you get instances where you release an album and you get people who go buy the album and put it up online for free for downloads. A lot of money is being put into production of albums; hard work, time and it’s almost impossible to curb these kinds. I mean, no matter how hard you try, it’s just difficult. They actually buy the album and upload it for free. So, what can you do? It’s just heart-breaking. Well, we just plea with people to have a conscience. I think that’s the only thing we can do. (Laughs)
The future of the musicians in this country is also dependent on the CMO. What are you guys doing to ensure there is cooperation among yourselves as artistes?
Well, that’s one issue we’ve been trying to deal with for years. Because the way it’s done worldwide is once your music is out, you get royalties for plays, for views and all what. But it’s quite different here. We know that we have the plays but no royalties are being collected and you see musicians who are putting a lot of work but have nothing to fall back on concerning royalties. Artistes depend on live shows mostly. You have to be booked to get paid or for some who are favoured to have endorsement deals. That’s the only source of income for the musician. Everyone keeps complaining about the collecting society that they need to do more and they need to be transparent with their dealings. But I agree that it is important to come together, instead of saying ‘where I get my money from is the gigs. And so I don’t care about these people’.
Let’s talk about collaborations. Is there any artiste that want to partner either in Nigeria or outside?
Over the lifespan of my career, I think I’ve done a lot of interesting collaborations. Still, I have a couple of collaborations I’m looking forward to as an artiste. In Nigeria, one person I would love to work with will be 2Face. He has that legendary status as a musician, and as a person. And he’s someone I admire so much. Globally, I would like to have collaboration with John Legend. And I know one day it would happen. I know one day it would happen.
How comfortable are you with your genre of music or are there times you feel you want to try something different?
I’m very comfortable with my genre of music which is R&B; though it doesn’t change the fact that I’m a complete musician. When I say I’m a complete musician, I sing, I write, I produce, I play the drums, I play the piano and I love all genres of music. And it’s not out of place for me to want to do something that’s different from the norm. Music is supposed to make you dance, supposed to make you feel in love, supposed to make you meditate, and it’s supposed to make you think. And I like to just go with the flow of music. So, sometimes, I do a style of music that is not what everyone is used to from Praiz. But that doesn’t change the fact that Praiz is R&B and will always represent R&B.
What do you think has changed in music reality shows between when you were on it and now?
What has changed in music reality shows? I’m sorry I would just have to say that MTN Project Fame has been the only successful music reality TV show. I’ll say that because it’s the only show that has musicians from different seasons that are still in the music industry. And I’m talking about Chidinma, I’m talking about myself, I’m talking about Iyanya, to name a few. And also, there is Bisola who does music and is acting right now. When I look at other reality TV shows, Project Fame is number one. And that is because it has worked for a couple of people. It’s a platform that should be taken advantage of because you get to build a fan base being on the show and that’s something that is a lot of work for someone who is starting and is not starting from a reality TV show – building a fan base. I’m grateful for that.
How do you ‘manage’ your female fans?
I try my best to accommodate my female fans by always replying them. And I try my best not to take advantage of my female fans because obviously they love you and it would be wrong for me to take advantage of the fact that they love my music, love my personality for my own selfish reasons. So, I do my best not to take advantage of my female fans
