5 questions for Abjos

In 2018, he released a music video for the Afropop tune Owo featuring a trip of Nigerian diaspora acts. Among his credits as producer are tracks that have featured rapper Olamide and reggae act Winning Jah. He recently spoke about his life, music and plans for the future.

MUSIC IN AFRICA: Are you planning on returning to Nigeria and how are you coping with the extra recognition from the African Diaspora Merit Awards (ADMA)?

Abjos: Definitely. I came to Europe with Olamide for work. African musicians in the diaspora have always sent files to me, so I decided to tour and work closely with my fans abroad. Let's say I am here for now. I would sincerely admit that African producers in the diaspora are also very wild and creative in terms of beat creation.

It helps that my music production with mainstream Afro acts has improved my creativity because of their versatility in lyrics and hardcore flow. Working with the likes of Olamide and Skales is not easy as a producer as they really know exactly how they want their production to sound, so I have to be good to have worked with these master entertainers.

ADMA made me more famous in Europe and since I came, my studio has been filled like sardine but I remain humble.

How did you come this far in music productions?

When I was 10, I played a set of drums in the church choir. After my secondary school, I called my parents and told them my interest, that I would love to produce music for artists. That was how I went into studying music production. I started playing keyboards, guitar drums and violin professionally. My music teacher was speechless and said "kindly improve on music arrangements, that will take you far" so I continued because she never said I was perfect. Education has a huge role to play in music, otherwise, you could be limited to certain areas. Today, I'm glad as a professional multi-instrumentalist and a music producer.

Do you sing and write your personal songs and how was it when you were growing up?

Sure. I write songs for myself and for other artists. I have done a couple of songs, but I'm working on my debut album to be released when I have the time.

Growing up was fantastic. I was lucky to have parental support for my music career. I was born at Igbogbo-Ikorodu area in Lagos, and this area influences my die-hard lifestyle. I would have been lazy by now. When I was growing up at Igbogbo, my schoolmates saw me as a superstar and I kept improving my skills, to perform in birthday parties, sing songs in Yoruba and pidgin. Because the elders never interrupted my performances as a young boy, I discovered that what I was doing could be very important. Today it is.

Where do you see your self in the next few years? And as you do almost everything in the music industry, what describes you best: producer,  musician, or songwriter? 

I would say all of the above because I'm versatile. All my life has been entertainment. In Nigeria, the population is massive, so the best hasn't come out yet because we have too few talent scouts and inadequate media coverage. Today's hit songs don't stay in next week's playlist because of too many talented artists. I'm still a young boy, let's see what the future will have for me.

What advice do you have for the upcoming music producers?

To all upcoming music producers, I would suggest hard work, tolerance and focus. Keep learning more skills to make a difference and God will certainly perfect the others.