Controversial artist
turned writer, Paul Uche Ejikeme aka Etcetera says there is no music
industry in Nigeria yet. When asked what he would do if he had the opportunity
to change anything in the Nigerian music industry, he said;
"There is no
industry yet my brother. So the only thing that can be changed is
everything. What we have is just a bunch of hardworking individuals swimming
against the tide to make a living for themselves. We need structures to have an
industry. And as we speak, we don't have that industry yet"
Asked why Nigerian
artistes are acknowledged globally even with the seeming no structure he
talked about, Etcetera said;
"Our artiste are
known globally because music is the only universally accepted language. But
with structures, our musicians will rip the fruits of their labor and have
something to fall back when they are too old to jump on any stage" he
said. Continue...
Asked if
his controversial newspaper publications are not publicity stunts after a
failed musical career, Etcetera said;
"You call it
controversial, but a lot of other people call it the truth and if you attribute
the truth to publicity stunt, then the writers of the bible must be equally
guilty. And let's not forget that the essence of freedom and democracy is for
people to be able to air their opinions always without retribution. After all,
we are all humans, even though some are political dancers" he said
Asked why he
thinks Tiwa Savage, her husband and others publicly criticized him
over his publications, he said;
"I think you should
ask them. They are the only ones who can answer that question. I am not a
shrink or a mind reader. So, I wouldn't know why they said what they
said. People's rights to their opinion must be respected at all times. As a
nation, that is what we are trying to achieve and we will get there someday by
God's grace" he said
When advised to also change
his genre of music so he could flourish as most artiste have done, he
said;
"I am not a
groupie. Nobody sets standards for me. So I make my own part. Goodluck to those
artiste that have changed because they thought the new course is better. If
there are may routes to the village square, it is left for everyone to choose a
more appropriate one. We are a country of diverse ethnicity, why can't we also
be a country diverse in music"
No comments:
Post a Comment