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Entertainment of Saturday, 10 July 2021

Source: punchng.com

How coronavirus pandemic helped my music career – Bella Shmurda

Bella Shmurda, Singer Bella Shmurda, Singer

Singer, Ahmed Akinbiyi, aka Bella Shmurda, talks to TOFARATI IGE about his new album, career and other issues

What inspired the title of your new Extended Play album, ‘High Tension 2.0’?

I describe myself as ‘tension’ because of my ability to penetrate and strike against all odds. I come from a place (Okokomaiko, Lagos) where there are very few opportunities, and I believe that being able to find my way out of there was a ‘tension’ thing.

You released an EP, ‘High Tension’, last year and you already have another one out. What influences your work ethics?

I basically want to show my fans who I am. I want to bring my sound to them. I have featured quite a number of people in the past. But this new EP, which contains eight tracks, is all about me. I want to prove a point that I am competent on my own.

You recently graduated from the Lagos State University with a degree in History. Did your music career, in any way, clash with your schooling?

It did. But at a point, I had to face it like a man and balance things.

Do you feel that featuring other artistes on the album would have distracted you?

No, it wouldn’t have distracted me. I just wanted to be sure of where my strength lies. I wanted to know what I could do without featuring any big artiste.

I believe that people will see me in a different light in this EP. The songs that made it to the album took time, and they would make people relate better with me.

Your music became popular at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic was in full force and there weren’t shows. How did that make you feel considering that you would have made more money from concerts if things were different?

Actually, I think the COVID-19 pandemic preserved my brand as an artiste. It also preserved my talent and longevity. The pandemic also gave people the time to get better and learn more. COVID-19 actually helped me to improve. Before, I just wanted to be an artiste, but now I want to be an entrepreneur.

How do you think this EP would define you as an artiste?

It talks about where I am coming from and how I am feeling at the moment. Since my last EP, I have seen and learnt more, so I’m more experienced. I have heard people say what they really want from me, and all that is reflected in the EP.

Sometime ago, you were in Ghana with Wizkid. Do you plan to collaborate on a song?

Yes, we did something nice. But, it’s up to Wizkid on when it will be released.

You seem to have so much love for the street. Beyond making music, do you have plans to do something for people on the streets?

Yes, definitely. Recently, I went back to Okokomaiko, where I grew up, and I shared food and money to the people there. My company, Dagbana Republik, also has plans to drill boreholes in the area, so more people can have access to clean water.

When you look back at where you are coming from, what thought crosses your mind?

I don’t want to go back there empty-handed. I want to go back as someone that has achieved something notable. I want to impact their lives positively to the point that if anyone is talking about me, the whole area would rise to my defence. Basically, I want to be a good ambassador of the place.

Even if my money cannot touch them; at least, my music can touch them. I can change the mindset of some people through my music. And if I can change their mindset, their standards of living would also improve.

How did your journey to being an artiste begin?

I started ‘hustling’ from one studio to the other. I would even leave my neighbourhood to meet people in other areas to get a better experience. It was in that process I met someone like Poco Lee (a dancer).

At what point did you know you had become popular?

I got to know I was popular when I made the remix of my song, ‘Vision 2020’ with Olamide (Baddo). Even before then, I already had a level of popularity in my neighbourhood, but I wanted to be more successful. There was a day I had a show at LASU and the hall was filled up. Meanwhile, I had released only one song then. That incident made me know that things had changed for me, and I had to do better. I cannot afford to let my fans down because they have always been supportive.

Considering the struggles you faced while rising as an artiste, do you have plans to help up-and-coming entertainers in any way?

I think all up-and-coming artistes need to start attending seminars on how the music industry works. They need to know where they are going and be educated about certain things. Some artistes don’t really want to sing, they just want fame. Most times, artistes shout about money, but it is not all about that. They need to answer certain questions— ‘Am I talented’? ‘How well can I write songs’? ‘Will my songs touch people’s lives’?

While coming up, I was also shouting that I wanted to be popular and make money. But, it’s very important to have a strategy. That’s why we need to educate them, so they can have a better understanding of the industry.

What are some of the things you wish you could have done differently as an artiste or person?

I cannot change who I am. However, I wish could be more of an introvert, because I seem to talk too much. At a point, I had to understand myself and note areas where I needed to improve. But, nobody is perfect though. Even with one’s talent, one cannot be the best. Nobody can lay claim to being the best musician. After the demise of heavyweights such as Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and Michael Jackson, music has continued. And after me, music will still continue.

What influenced your tattoos, especially the one on your forehead?

The one on my forehead is ‘God’, written in Arabic.