‘I simply told Dbanj to play any song and I would flow with it’ – Sunny Ade

The legendary singer who has been nominated severally for the Grammy awards with over 100 albums to his credit is still bubbling with life.  Juju music icon King Sunny Ade turned 68 on Monday September 22nd 2014.
He had a quiet session with Weekend Groove in his country home, in Akure, the Ondo State capital during the week, where he bares his mind on a number of issues bothering on the Nigerian music scene, his long sojourn in the industry and more.

You were 68 years on Monday and in two year time you will be 70. Are you working on a new album to celebrate the milestone?

 I pray that God should keep me alive till that time. But I plan my things in an elaborate way. I prefer to work with you media guys in order to make it happen. I cannot do it alone or stand here to tell you that I will do this or that and probably end up not doing anything at the end of the day.

It will look like, why did you have to make a promise that you cannot fulfil. It’s certain that I am going to celebrate my 70th birthday elaborately because I have never been there before.

Was your birth recorded at the time you were born?

 That will be for my family to provide the answer.

The impression people  have is that you now spend more time in Ondo State than in Lagos?

 I spend more time in Lagos than I spend in Ondo State. That’s what people don’t know. I have my office in Lagos, and my family lives there. Like I said last year, I am planning to return to Akure finally. But it has to be a gradual process. There are certain things I need to put in place. But here is like a country home for me. It provides me that relaxation spot that is lacking in the city of Lagos.

What has God done for you in the past one year?

 He spared my life. In the last one year, I have never had any cause to be hospitalised and my music has not stopped either. This year is a little bit better than last year.

When you look into the mirror and see yourself still looking healthy, how do you feel?

 I don’t look into the mirror. You are my mirror. When I look into the mirror, there is the tendency that I would see that all is not well. But if you tell me that I am looking well fed. I will thank God for my life that after all the toiling and hustling for survival, someone would look into my eyes and tell me that I am looking healthy. Well, I would take that as a compliment. It’s better for me than looking into the mirror.

Victor Olaiya did a collaboration with 2face last year. Are you planning to do a collabo with the young artistes?

Recently, I was on stage with Wizkid, Olamide and other artistes at Mo’Abudu’s birthday anniversary. I am in the family of the new generation of artistes. Any artiste that wants to do collaboration with me, I am ready to do so with him.

At the last Glo Evergreen musical event, you did a very perfect combination with D’banj.  How did you blend with him?

 Actually, we did not rehearse together to perform on stage. I didn’t even know much about the song that we performed. But when D’banj came on stage, there was no room for us to rehearse. I simply told him to play any song that he wants to play, and I would flow with it. And that was what I did. Interestingly, the song I sang was composed on stage.

Are you disappointed with what is happening these days, where the new generation of artistes hardly handle musical instruments compared to your own time?

 I wouldn’t say I am disappointed because I left my guitar for a while but now, I am going back to it. You saw the difference during the Glo Evergreen musical event. It also happened last night at an event organised to celebrate me at 68. I wouldn’t say it’s a disappointment. We are going to work together to get it right.

At 68, do you feel the same when you come on stage?

Unless there is no instrument sound and music on stage. When I climb the stage, I’m there to make everybody happy until the end of the show. I feel satisfied when I make people happy.

What is it like, moving a big band like yours?

 My band started with about four to five members. But today, I have a 50-member band. Sometimes, I will be on stage with 23 of them including the two engineers and the dancers.  We have about two to three trucks that move my musical equipment around. It’s not easy to move a big band, but I saw something in-between.

I started moving a big band a long time ago. Moving a big band is like playing a card. Sometimes, you lose and at other times, you win. I move almost 27/28 members of my band abroad. But now, I have streamlined it. I have reduced my dancers from five to two dancers and I have also reduced my piece man, from 23 to 17, including two engineers.

Was there any point in your musical career when you felt like dumping your guitar?

 Even if it occurred I did not give up. This is because in everything especially when you are managing human beings, you have to be focused. For instance, when the band broke up, if I didn’t have foresight it would take me a long time to bring the band back to its feet. But when it occurs like that, I quickly put on my thinking cap.

And that’s why I used to hold the centre of the boat. When the boat is sinking, I would raise it up, and when it’s going in the wrong direction, I would redirect it. But I wonder if I have ever thought of giving up my musical career.

Let’s talk about your genre which is juju music. What’s your take on the future of juju music in Nigeria?

 It’s not juju music alone. It’s about all genres of music in Nigeria. The Nigerian music industry itself needs a doctor to treat its ailment. How many music and musicians are in existence today? Some of us cannot afford to purchase our musical instruments. You can’t get a very good guitar at anything less than N60,000.00. Except you want to buy a low quality guitar. Musical instruments are very expansive.

Musicians are fashioning out ways of producing their music. And for you to satisfy Nigerians with your music, you must always be good at your craft. It costs a lot of money. If young artistes want to copy my music, it would cost them a lot of money. It’s not only juju music it also affects other genres of music in Nigeria.

Most of us who perform at show almost every-day hire instruments. Unfortunately, those who hire out these instruments have categorised them to the detriment of the musicians. That’s why these day, you have musicians who record their music using back up voices.

Have you ever been inspired to fashion out your own style of playing guitar which many known guitarists all over the world do?

 Yes, I have my own style of playing my guitar. I have my lines on how I play my guitar. If I leave my guitar here, and you are a guitarist, you can’t play it because of the way I tuned it. You have to study my guitar before you can play it.

All over the world, you hardly can come across somebody who plays a guitar with his fingers.  I don’t use pick. I decided when I started my musical career to create a unique style and my line of guitar. That’s why I can use my guitar to sing whatever song I want to sing effortlessly. I play rhythm in my guitar and that’s my own creation. That was why several years ago, I came out as position 68th best guitarists in the world.

Are you saying that if you leave your guitar with a Mexican and American musician, Carlos Santana, he wouldn’t understand how you tuned it and be able to play it?

 If I leave my guitar with him and when he picks it, he will understand how I tuned it. But if he leaves his own guitar with me, I will try my best to play it. He plays his guitar on regular, while mine is open cord.

Are planning to do collaboration with him?

 Carlos Santana is my friend. He did collaboration with some artistes recently. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame. We are still celebrating him.

In Nigeria, your music is described as Juju, but at the international scene, your music is categorised under world beat. Do you agree with the categorisation of your music as world beat?

 When they gave me that award as the King of World Beat, they had a problem of categorising our music. But it was because of my music that they now created the World Beat.

You were recently given professorship by the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.  What is expected of you in that capacity?

 A lot is expect of me; my experience in music. I don’t even want a monetary reward. But my utmost concern is to groom future musicians straight from the university. Until now, I am the only musician in Nigeria who has bagged Doctorate degrees in University of Ibadan as well as Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. I am expecting another   surprise which I wouldn’t want to talk about here.

What’s your take on entertainers who are going into politics?

 I don’t want to comment on that because I don’t know what inspired them into politics. I am not a politician. But whoever wants to go into politics, good luck to the person. To me, I don’t play politics, and I don’t want to be a politician. So, I cannot speak for them because they know why they went into it.

Given your busy schedule, how do you find time to stay with your family?

 I still thank my God for holding my family together for me. When you are serving humanity, your family suffers a lot. This is because when my children are going to school, I will be returning home to sleep. And by the time, they are returning from school, I would be on my way out of the house.