The music industry in Abuja and within the North is immensely gaining grounds in Nigeria and for very good reasons. The industry has been able to produce great musical talents who either had their roots here or made a name for themselves even while living around here. Of the new school artistes holding down the forte in Abuja, Afro-dancehall artiste, LK Kuddy whose real name is Olakunle Esuola, is a shinning star in the lot. His profile is hiking up the music ladder with a resonant voice.
He started his professional music career in 2013 and has released a good number of songs including
With You featuring Wizkid and Yung6ix,
Vanilla featuring Iyanya,
Worry, Firewood, etc. In this interview with TJ, the Flux Factory act talks about himself, his music style, message, future projections, challenges, upcoming project, etc. Excerpts:
LK Kuddy is a humble and easy going personality from the South-Western part of the country, Ibadan in Oyo state. All my schooling years took place here in Abuja. I studied Economics at the University
of Abuja.
Influences from my dad. My dad studied Economics and he is very good at it. When you grow up around people that have a particular mindset about life, the tendency of being influenced by them is high. From the get go I wanted to study Law, but along the line I decided to change.
- Tell us how you got into music
I'm not one of those guys that will say I started singing from my mother's womb, it was a gradual process. I've always been a fan of good music. I've always loved and appreciated it, and that was just it. My musical journey however, started way back when I was in Jss 3. I had a study group and when we go for study, I'm always singing instead of reading. My guys were like, if I can be singing people's songs this good, why don't I just sing mine...? So that's it basically, I discovered it along the line and decided to go with it. It's a passion.
- So why are you really doing music, is it for the passion, fame or money?
There are stages to this thing. You recall I said I used to mime to people's songs. It started out as a passion because I could just do music for free and go on and on without food. Music just kept me fulfilled. Along the line, I realised it's actually a career path. So from the stage of passion, to a realisation and understanding that it is a career path. Now, I am an entity. LK Kuddy is a brand and business. I now have a clearer picture to these things. I'm doing music because I love it and I'm into the music business as well. Passion for the music is the foundation to the brand. Passion is key because when ups and downs comes, it is what can keep you going.
- Are you into music business full time?
I'm a fusion. I'm like a fish in the ocean. I remember having arguments with my dad after school, because he wanted me to get a job. But I like an independent lifestyle. I like to wake up when I want and do what I want. Music gives me the opportunity to do all these things. So it's not like I can't do other things, it's just that I don't see myself fitting into anywhere else. So for me, it's music plus other miscellaneous things centered around showbiz.
- As a budding artiste, what are the challenges you face?
I don't really believe in challenges, because I have an entrepreneurial spirit. I believe in turing stumbling blocks into stepping stones. I see them as motivation for a next level. But what I will refer to as a challenge is trying to fit into the society. There's a system in the society and once you don't fit into that path, you're treated differently. You're termed a prodigal son, just because you don't dress or look in the expected way. It's really a problem. Abuja is like a civil ground and so it's even more challenging here because you don't find people act in similar way as such, unlike Lagos. So that's what I see as a challenge, asides that, nothing else.
- What do you want to achieve ultimately with your music career?
As a musician, I see myself as a prophet. This is because I speak the minds of millions of people. From an early stage, I had a clear picture of what I wanted to do with my music. So for me, I want to leave behind a positive legacy with my music. I want to heal wounds with my music. Music is powerful and so I plan to use the influence to touch lives positively.
- What's your genre of music?
The kind of genre I do is not in the regularly defined music we hear. I do what I call Afro-dancehall. It is Afro-dance hall because I vibe more towards dancehall music. Plus my indigenous inputs. So it's a fusion of both that gives the Afro-dancehall feel in my music. My environment influenced my kind of music.
- Who are your mentors musically?
To burst your bubbles, I don't have anyone internationally. Within Nigeria, I categorize between male and female. For the male it is 2Baba and for the female it is Asa. For me to make you my role model, it's not just because you're successful. There must be something I just keep appreciating about you naturally. There are some people I used to look up to but now I just feel I've grown pass them. They (2Baba and Asa) have my attention and appreciation because they constantly reinvent themselves.
- What message does your music pass generally?
With my music, I try to put myself in people's shoes. I'm a fan of my music and so I try to be realistic with myself and ask, 'do you like what you're hearing?'. I try to make sure, even though I'm writing about a woman, it is in all the best possible ways.
- If it wasn't music, what would we know LK Kuddy for?
I wouldn't have been LK Kuddy in the first place. But I honestly thought I'd have been the President of Central Bank. I like to make things work systematically. I believe if the structure for everything is in order, things will work out fine.
- So would you be one of those artistes who would leave Abuja soon?
(Laughs) I'm a Nigerian, does your location really matter? Take for example Chris Brown, he doesn't live in Nigeria but we enjoy and listen to his music. So I'd say the most important thing is distribution of consumption. It really doesn't matter where you stay.
- What are your life's principles?
I wouldn't say principles, I live by a philosophy. I write it everywhere. That is, a life of no regrets, a life of blessings and lessons. I believe what ever we do in life, it is for a reason. Things don't just happen and so there shouldn't be regrets. There's always a lesson to be learnt and blessings in disguise to be gained from things. I believe strongly in this philosophy because my life is practical of it.
- What are your upcoming projects, musically or not?
I'm currently working on an EP of five to six tracks. It's titled HOUSE and it's going to be a series. HOUSE is an acronym for High On Unusual Sound Effects. This EP is not commercial. It's going to portray me in a different light.
- How would you describe your fashion style?
Omo! I am my own stylist oh! Some people think you need a stylist to look good, but I really don't believe in that. So as for my fashion sense, what ever goes in my head is what I do. When I'm sleeping, I'm thinking about what I'll wear the next day. I plan it out all in my head.
- Is there a special someone?
The only special somebody is my sister. Nobody else is specially special to me.
- What's your take on marriage and family?
I believe and respect marriage so much, because I'm from a well trained family. Sometimes when I go out and I see married men living anyhow, it puts me in awe. Marriage is spiritual to me, it is deep, but people generally take it for granted. For you to decide that you want to get married, there are two phases or two things you need to fulfill before getting married. Financial and mental stability. Marriage is supposed to be a beautiful thing, but it has now been cheapened.
- Who's your celebrity crush?
I don't want to sound arrogant but I'm not crushing on anyone. But if I have to say, then my woman crush is my sister.
- What do you think about giving back to the society, as in philanthropic gestures?
My father taught me something about giving. There are three most important things one should do; build a place of worship, plant a tree and dig a well, and that's what I believe in. If I build a place of worship, it'll draw people to their creator, if I plant a tree, it will provide shelter and food, if I dig a well, that would be endless water for people.
I don't really have anything to say, but we should all live right. We play very significant roles in the society, so how you treat the man next to you affects the man next to him. It's a ripple effect and so, we all need to live right.
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