Not To Judge Anyone But There Is Corruption In Nigerian Music Industry – Singer
Geoffrey Oji, winner of the seventh season of Project Fame West Africa, spoke to Naij.com on his journey so far as well as his relationships with women and the challenges of getting into mainstream Nigeria as an upcoming musician.
Singer Geoffrey Oji
What have you been doing since Project Fame?
I am doing a lot. At present I’m working on my music, working on pushing my videos. I have a song titled Bursting My Brain and another called Monalisa. As we speak I am trying to push Monalisa as well as conclude a remix of Bursting My Brain with Oritsefemi and then the video for the song.
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As winner of Project Fame in 2014 are there plans to collaborate with the 2015 Project Fame winner?
We have met before. Urm but for now there isn’t any plan to work on any song together. Maybe in the near future we could do something.
How would you rate him musically?
He is very good, a very good singer and musician. He has a cool style.
Musically what is your strong point?
I will say my vocal range. I zone out a lot on stage. Of course a lot of people know that when it comes to my life I am a shy person. But when I’m on stage I go all out and put my all into singing.
How do you intend to suppress your shyness given the nature of your job?
It is not going to be suppressed. And by the way it doesn’t affect my music, it doesn’t affect my relationship with people and all that.
Back to Project Fame who would you say was your major competition?
That would be Emekus. He was the only person I think could have been the winner if I didn’t win.
How would you describe his style?
Emekus is a street guy, his style appeals a lot to the street and the streets love his style and attitude. I think his style also appeals to a lot of people really.
What informs your fashion sense?
My style is based on my instincts. I dress according to how I think and how I want to be seen. Again if I see something I like I copy and add to my style.
How do you handle the female fans and what’s changed since you hit stardom?
Well nothing has changed. Maybe a lot more female attention. These days I get females hitting me up from Twitter and saying they like my beards, my new look and all of that and it’s a good thing anyways seeing that people appreciate you for who you are.
What do you have to say about the current trend of paying media personalities in order to get songs played on air?
I feel everything these days has been paid for but at the end of the day that’s what corruption does. I am not trying to judge anybody but I feel like if we get act this way then there is no hope for upcoming artistes.
When I look at upcoming artistes I see a lot of struggle. I remember back then when I was trying to get into the entertainment industry before the platform from Project Fame, then I was struggling to be heard. And it was crazy man. You give people your CDs to play and the next place you find it is maybe in the trash or something. So I’ve seen, I’ve experienced stuff like that. I’ve seen this sort of thing happen a lot of times right in front of me, you get? I’ve seen cases where some would not even give you audience just because your dad is not influential or because your dad doesn’t have money to pay for this or to pay for that. Or maybe a case where you as an artiste or your record label doesn’t have the means to pay for this, that’s if you even have a record deal, you get?
So what I’m basically saying is everything in the entertainment industry nowadays is basically about money. For your materials to get on radio you have to pay money. For your materials to get on TV you have to spend money.
And it’s sad because if it continues like this then there’s no future for the industry.
Have you ever been a victim of this ‘pay before air play’ issue?
No but I have seen people experience it. Personally I’m a type of person who likes to stay within boundaries and when I see a thing of this sort I try not to get myself embarrassed. So I’ve basically been pushing my art and staying focused.
I’m not hungry for fame or stardom. I always believed when it’s right stardom would find me and it already has.
I pursued Project Fame for seven years and finally got it the seventh time. So I have got determination in me which is something I believe will see me through everything. I am not hungry for fame or stardom or any of that
Given this have you paid for your song to get played on radio and TV?
Definitely. My management and my team have paid at some point to get my song on air. They’ve paid to do a whole lot of stuff. They’ve paid to get me on radio and on TV.
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Having said these which comes first, your woman or your career?
That’s the more reason I can’t go into a relationship right now because I know that it’s gonna affect the woman and it’s gonna affect my music because one of both has to go.
But if I must go into a relationship with anyone then she must buy into my dream, she must understand what the entertainment industry demands. But I don’t see that possible and that’s the more reason I try to put that on hold for now.
Geoffrey Oji is a Nigerian singer widely remembered for winning the Project Fame music reality show in 2014.
He is currently signed to 960 Music and has been pushing his music across various platforms in a bid to secure a bigger portion of mainstream renown.
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