Words by Djaji Prime
Following the release of the “Gold” album, The ITK Podcast was able to conduct an interview with Adekunle Gold, in which he opened up about a number of things, including his early exposure to music & the music industry, people lacking belief in his music, and of course the “Gold” album among other things.
A recurring theme throughout the interview was that Adekunle took the unconventional route, in making his music (at least within the context of Nigerian music). During the interview he recounts the various individuals who had told him that his style of music -Urban Highlife as he prefers to call it- would never do well in the Nigerian music industry, especially with the dominance of genres such as Afro-beat, and the heavy demand for “club bangers”. While Adekunle Gold does confess later on, to trying a more generic sound, he notes that this sound was not authentic to who he is as a person, and in addition did not work in the way he wanted it to.
Speaking further on the genre “Urban Highlife” which was coined by none other than Mr. Gold himself, explaining that the genre was born out of his love for alternative music, and his passion for the Yoruba language & culture. Now whether or not Urban Highlife will be the next big genre, is certainly too early to tell, regardless Adekunle Gold is unapologetic in his choice of being unique with his music, stating that: “difference sells”.
While Adekunle did indeed take the road less traveled, a decision he partly attributes to the level of confidence he has in himself, it is safe to say that with his current success on the “Gold” album, this path taken was indeed the most rewarding. This is best put by him in a quote taken from the interview:
When you get to the end of the rope, tie a knot & hang on, don’t fall. A miracle will surely come by
You can listen to the full podcast episode on SoundCloud:
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