Waje is the latest cover star for Vibe.ng Magazine June 2017 issue. In this piece themed The Queen Being, Waje proves herself as royalty as she lets us into her awesome world; sharing with us details about her life as a musician, mum, friend and all round superwoman. Here are exercepts from her interview:
On her label Waje Musik Entertainment: I’m still open to different partnerships because it’s a business at the end of the day. But, I started my career signed to a record label and, for so long, I didn’t do that much. After that contract expired I was a bit scared of committing to another label. I felt like a lot of people just were not prepared or informed. So, even though it’s tough, there are indie artists that have made it and are doing their thing. So, if you can do it yourself then why not.
On how her daughter Emerald has managed her inherited fame: She’s doing a great job. We tone it down so my household is very regular and my job is just like any other job. In reality, I teach her that life is about what you bring to the table She’s very understanding, partly because the rest of my family doesn’t send. Whether you’re Waje or you’re not Waje, they can still send you message and don’t treat you any differently.
On arguments of what genre, the international audience should call our music: I honestly don’t think this argument is necessary. No vex, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Jazz music was born out of other genres, Highlife came from Latin music and African music, Rock was born from other types of music. For every generation, the more you teach about types of music, they come up with their own. How many people in this generation make Fuji music? It’s because it did not get passed down as effectively. So, I don’t care if it is called Afrobeat or Afrobeats. Is the whole world listening to it? Do they recognise that it comes from here? Are they identifying with the people that birthed this music? That is what is important.
On her biggest fear: Make market no fall press me! It’s so bad because you’re trying to keep your head above water and you feel like you’re drowning. My biggest fear is failure and I want nothing more than to be relatable and make quality content. Because if market fall press you, you don go be dat!
On how she overcomes her fear: It’s tempting to believe that you will always be on top. I think it’s almost inevitable that financial issues will come so it is important to assess your reality. I would love to live in a mansion with a swimming pool but, I know I can’t afford it comfortably. So, I live in a place that is within my means. This is so that, if I should ever stop selling, I can still have a reasonable standard of living…because I stayed within my means. You can’t tell your child that you didn’t pay school fees because the market isn’t selling. Also, we have to surround ourselves with people who will steer us in the right direction, not superficial people.
Credit: Vibe NG
