I am tired looking for johnny - Yemi Alade

•    Everything I Do Comes From The Heart
Yemi Alade is in the top echelon when it comes to female artistes ranking in Nigeria. She’s rated amongst the likes of Tiwa Savage, Omawunmi and Waje when it comes to popularity. Though she has just two albums, ‘King of Queen’ and ‘Mama Africa’, her songs are far-reaching and widely accepted. Her first major single, Johnny, was a whirlwind which catapulted her to instant stardom.
In this chat with Hazeez Balogun, she speaks about her music, love life and the new deal she recently signed with NairaBox.

You just signed on to NairaBox as an ambassador
Yes and I am excited about that. It is a cool brand and I am glad to be associated with everything youth-oriented. When they called me up and asked if I would like to be their brand ambassador, I did a bit of research and I saw that they stand for most of the things I stand for. I could not just say no. Also, NairaBox will be selling music on their platform soon and as an artiste, that is a big plus for me.  I will also be on the social media pushing the brand – that is part of my obligations.
You have over four endorsement deals already, signing another one may start to make brand Yemi Alade an all comers affair.
Like I said, I research before I sign any deal, so any deal  you see me sign, that means I believe in that brand. So if there are 100 brands lined up for me to sign on, if they key in to what I believe in, sure why not. Also, I know I have to do a lot of work while under contract, but I know how to schedule by time. I do not fail people. It is better to be very busy than to have no work at all. Also I try to make sure that I do not let brands clash. I make sure that I do not sign on competing brands. After our contract has expired then I can listen to competition. But while I’m in contract, I stay loyal to any brand.

You dropped Mama Africa and it is doing well, what are you working on next?
For now it is still Mama Africa. I have dropped four videos from the album now. I dropped ‘Koffi Anan’, ‘Africa’, ‘Ferrari’ and ‘Nagode’ which I have done a Swahili version for. I am still working on releasing more videos from the album. So for now it is Mama Africa all the way.

You seem to have gone Afro-centric, what informed the decision for that?
There was no real reason; I just felt that’s the thing to do at the moment. I know my music is gaining a lot of traction all across the continent and it will be only right to release an album in that regard.

You were nominated for the BET Awards, you were there in the US on the red carpet, but you came home without a plaque, did this dampen your spirit in any way?
BET is a big award ceremony and the Africa category had six Africans on it. We all know that in Nigeria alone we have over 15 artistes doing very well both male and female. So in the entire Africa for me to be picked amongst the top six three times in a row, it definitely means that I am doing something right. I did not come home empty handed; I came home with a lot of experience. I was there with Beyonce, and everyone in American movie and music scene.

It was said that the gown you wore was N2.5m. Is that true?
Yes. In fact I don’t have to confirm anything. You can go online and see for yourself.

The industry is a male dominated though, things are changing, it is just a handful of female artistes working the A-list events. Does that put pressure on you in anyway?
The pressure definitely is there because I need to keep up with what my male counterparts are doing. It is a tough struggle because in Africa, the woman is looked upon as the second leg and not the first leg if you know what I mean. There is a lot of psychological battle we face as female artistes, whether you are A-list or Z-list. I would rather be on God’s list.

You have been standing strong in the industry, what is the staying power?
Definitely, God is Number One; day in day out He has always been there for me and He will continue to be there for me. Then my team, shout out to Efizi Music Group. These guys work tirelessly to make sure the brand is where it is today. It is not an easy job for them but they got my back. Then the passion for music just has to be there. Money cannot buy passion. It is what spurs me on.

You were on Peak Talents Show, will you say that was what started all these for you?
Peak Talent Show was the right step in the right direction at that time. It made me take the first professional step in my musical life. I will always be grateful for the opportunity it gave me at the time.

What about your clothing line? You have been talking about it for a while but we have not seen anything yet.
Don’t worry, something big is about to happen. Just watch and see.

Tell us about your love life
Whenever God say it is time it is time

Are you still looking for your Johnny?
No no no. He should look for me now.

You are one of the few artistes with little or no controversy, how have you been able to stay under the scandal radar?
I am just being myself and I try not to look for trouble.

When a female artiste has a male manager, there is always that belief that they are dating, why do you think this is?
Are managers not human beings too? If I had a female manager you will be asking me the same question?

When did you decide to go into music professionally?
I have been doing this music thing for like 10 years now; I was in a girl group called ‘Naughty Spices’ and my stage name then was Ginger but I kicked off my career six years ago, just after winning the Peak Talent Show.

What inspires your kind of music?
Everything I do comes from the heart. I always try to make sure that a piece of me reflects in all my songs. Secondly, the producer has to lace a perfect beat that gives the song the direction I want. If it’s a club joint, I give it the club banger approach and if it’s a ‘silky sheet’ beat I would give the beat the pillow case and all that’s needed to go with it. Inspiration is from my environment and experiences.

Who are your role models or people that inspire you to sing more or even help lift your mood?
I listen to the powerful three, Waje, Tiwa and Omawumi. But outside the shores of Nigeria I listen to Maria Carey; her voice is like a projection for me, I always try to match her. I love Beyonce’s stage craft but I still take it back to Whitney Houston. I also listen to Etta James. I love listening to old songs. Yes, my playlist is long.

When you started you had a tomboyish look, comparing that to your new sexy look, you’ve considerably changed. Was the transformation as a result of you growing up or your team’s decision to get you a wider fan base?
They say if you have it flaunt it, but on a more serious note I’m still the tomboy till now. It has a little to do with my team though. I’m a chameleon; if you notice me very well I change my hairstyle regularly and in my videos as well. If you don’t know me very well you might be confused as to the Yemi Alade singing. So I guess my style is always changing.

How would you describe the music industry in Nigeria based on your personal experience as an artiste?
The industry is fast growing and we are close to where we wanted to be. Generally, among ourselves, we need to eliminate the factor of greed and start thinking for all of us as brothers, but if we keep thinking about ourselves alone, we are not going to have a system or structure that would work for us. Greed for example, when I release a song and I put it on itunes and someone downloads and makes duplicate copy through other means; that’s greed. My album was compiled under four years, that’s four years of work and someone just sleeps and wakes up and sees my link online and starts to share it; that’s wickedness and greed.

Female artistes are coming up; what would you advise them?
I believe all the ladies in the industry are really trying, every day we have to look prim and proper and it takes a lot of effort. But I really think you are your biggest challenge. You are the one that can hold yourself backward or push yourself forward, it all depends on you.

Independent newspaper.