Superstar singer, Timaya, has responded to critics who claim that his music has lost the socially-conscious direction he started with.

He explained in an interview with Punch on Sunday that music is “a money-making business”.

The singer, who had during the earlier days of his career made widely acclaimed songs like “Dem Mama”, “Ogologoma”, “Life Anagaga”, and “Plantain Boy”, came under heavy fire following the release of “Ukwu” and “Bum Bum”.

He said that he had to understand what his audience prefer so that he could give them what they wanted.

The singer claimed that most of his songs that came under fire were often the most popular in his discography.

“This is funny, but that’s not the case. As an artiste, I am inspired by life, not just by one thing. I make music about the society, partying, love, beautiful women and my life in general.”

However, the singer did not mention explicitly if making conscious music was mutually exclusive to making money from it.

He said:

I do those types of songs [about women and clubbing] because that’s what people really want. Some people criticise those songs, but they have millions of views and downloads online within a short period. We really should stop deceiving ourselves. Like I said earlier, I sing about a variety of things. Music is a money-making business, so I always consider what people want to hear and give them priority. That’s what fetches me money.

Watch Timaya’s latest video for “Telli Person” below.