Saturday 29 September 2012

PMAN resembles Nigeria where many presidents come to make money – Felix Duke



Felix Duke
 

My music career
My last album is titled Joanna. Before then, Chingalingalin was meant to test how the people would feel about that kind of song. I have other songs that will make up an album. The album will soon be ready. I am just waiting to put some finishing touches to it.
Music promotion
I promote music, too. I take Nigerian artistes abroad for music tours. I have worked with the likes of Sunny Neji. We went for a European tour. I have worked with Black Face, 9ice, Flavour, MC Loph, and many others. We shall embark on a tour of America soon. I am into music business. Everything is a total package. If you limit yourself to singing alone, then you are not really in business. If other people can organise a music show and pay you to perform, what stops you from doing the same?
Competition from younger artistes
My time has not elapsed. Nobody is overtaking anybody. The sky is big enough for all the birds to fly without clashing. I am doing business. This is my profession. I don’t have another profession. The industry is not all about challenges; it is about what you can offer. Music is innate. If you have something inside of you, deliver it so that people can see it. So far, I have never recorded an album that has not been successful. I don’t release albums every year or every two years. I do it every four or five years and each time, it is always a blessing. I have never recorded any album that won’t be appreciated.
Nigerian lyrics
We have many crazy lyrics in the country right now. But it is up to Nigerians to make their choices. If parents should allow their children and wards to listen to such rubbish when they are supposed to be listening to positive songs, who will you blame? People are crying that their children are becoming wayward. But what else did you expect when you failed to censor what they listened to and watched as they were growing up? If you can control what they eat, why can’t you control what they assimilate? Music is very powerful. Through music you can get to God and Satan easily. I have settled for good lyrics. For the artistes, it is left to them. If they want their songs to be evergreen, then they should churn out good lyrics. I know I have good songs. Anywhere I sing, people scream and dance to my song. People like Victor Uwaifo are recognised abroad because of the kind of music he played. People like King Sunny Ade are still there because of the kind of music they play. I have seen artistes that came and left like the wind because they sang stupid songs. It is good to believe in whatever you are doing and you do it well.
Live music bands
Most artistes don’t play with live bands again. They mime their songs and tell the DJ to cue them in. It is affecting them now. You don’t call people like that musicians. I like what Nigerian Breweries is doing with their reality show, Star Quest. They are trying to inculcate the habit of playing with live music bands to young talents. How can you mime your own song on a recorded CD? Who are you fooling? People still pay to come and watch the show. I have performed in past editions of Star Trek and I was paid the same amount of money as those that came to mime on the stage. But from my money, I still paid members of the band their wages, accommodated, fed and transported them. I was doing that because I was enjoying it. I wanted to give people quality show and not to come on the stage and sound stupid. I am a live band man. For the DJs that call themselves singers, they had better think again. Things are changing. If you cannot play any musical instrument, then you are not there yet. Nigerians are getting wiser and they may conclude that you are a mediocrity. I used to be a drummer. I was once rated as one of the best drummers in Nigeria. There is no artiste that I didn’t back-up in the past. I did back-up for Ras Kimono, Daniel Wilson, Chris Hanen and many others. I toured Africa with most of them. I did all that before I recorded my first album in 1996. I was a session man before I became a full artiste.
Why I became a singer
Some people do not have the gift of singing. Some have the gift of playing musical instruments. I was born a singer and an instrumentalist. There is a particular level that you will get to and you will rise as a musician. I grew to the level of owning my own band and releasing albums. I served other people over the years. I wrote songs and when it was time for me to come out, I came out.
Playing reggae music
I was and I am still a reggae artiste. The genre is not dying. What the younger artistes play now is basically reggae, but they call it dancehall. It is just that most Nigerian artistes don’t even know the genre of music they play. You see them sing and rush songs. The song is dancehall. But if you ask most of them, they will say they play hip hop. That is not hip hop. Even at that, hip hop originated from reggae. You play dancehall music and you call it hip hop. That means you don’t know what you are doing and that means you are confused. Most of the music they are doing is reggae dancehall. That means reggae is not dying. We have to create an identity with the kind of songs you do. I am moving with the trend of time. The day you stop that, that means you are dying. I started with root reggae. I started growing and I am following the trend of time.
Dreadlocks
Dreadlock is a thing of the mind. There is something that Jamaicans call dread in the heart. Dreadlock symbolises likeness and meekness. The Rasta man preaches love. I used to wear dreadlocks. I took it off in 1993. My dreadlock was very long. I took it off even before I became a full time singer.
PMAN
I used to be a staunch member of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria. I am still a member. PMAN still exists. It is just that over the years, the association has been badly battered by different people. Many of the past leaders didn’t think of the welfare of the people when they were there. They come in to fill their pockets. But God is intervening. Things will turn around. PMAN’s case is just like that of Nigeria. This country has had different leaders who came in to make money. That is just what happened to PMAN. But we have a new president. His name is Murphy. He is trying to see how he can put things back on track. Many things have gone wrong. We can’t say there is nothing like PMAN. We can’t, because of bad leaders, say there is nothing like PMAN or choose not to be a part of it. Planes crash and people still fly. Accidents occur and people still travel. At the appointed time, things will get better.
My wife is not dead
I never married any wife that died. It was rumoured and even written about that my ex-wife died. When that story broke, we were still together. But those that wrote the story later apologised. I and my ex are separated now. When that news broke, I was in Germany. She had to come out and say she is not dead. She is still alive. I never lost any wife.
Why we separated
I don’t need to tell you why we separated. That is my personal life. The Bible says two cannot work together if they disagree. We couldn’t live together anymore. Two masters cannot live together in the same house. We were married, but we are no longer married. I am in another relationship now and I am happy. I am not married yet.
My relationship with actress Empress Njamah
Who told you that Empress was my date? She is just my friend. I won’t say that she is my enemy. We were not dating each other. I am not talking about it again.
My latest show
The show is all about Nigeria’s Independence. It is a three-day show. We will start on Sept. 29 to Oct. 1. The show is tagged Nigeria Independence Music Beach Carnival. This is the maiden edition. People come out with different ideas concerning the Independence Day celebration. I looked at all this and I found out there is really nothing an ordinary man can relate with. Virtually all the events to mark that day are for the elite and the middle class. The common man is not included in the fun. So I thought of bringing something that all Nigerians will relate with and participate no matter the class, religion or background. There will be the likes of Mr. Raw, Weird MC, Sammie Okposo, Kefee, Tosin Martins, Buchi, Sound Sultan, Pasuma, Shina Peters and many others. There will also be cultural display from Edo State and Lagos State. I don’t have any sponsors, I am just doing it on my own. But most of them promised to be part of it in the next edition.

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