Mary Ekah
2 July 2009
analysis
Lagos — A young Nigerian musician, Agubom Kingsley, recently went on a research-tour of Asia basically on what it takes to export Nigerian music to Asia as well explore the market for Nigerian Arts. Mary Ekah writes that the artiste's research which culminated to an Afro-Asia integration in film and music, is a key concept for the projection of Nigerian music in the Western world
He is popularly known as Kurious K, but his real name is Agubom Kingsley. His career as a professional musician was not by accident because music is a profession he chose to embrace right from his childhood. He started music in his secondary school days with a group of four boys known as Boys from another Planet (BAP).
As a group, they played several shows in Nigeria, but could not release any album. After leaving secondary school, the group disbanded. Afterwards, Kingsley came to Lagos in pursuit of his career and luckily for him, he got a contract with Precision Music for his first album, Curious Flavour, which featured Daddy Fresh in a track titled "Chelugodu". The album was successful, and that was how he took off with his solo.
Kinsley who claims to play Afro-pop said his music is inspired by things that happen around him "either as a personal experiences or the philosophy of life." Recently, he completed his new album project and a video of one of the tracks titled Rock De Party at MLS studios, NCAC, Lagos. The sixteen-track album, titled "African Heritage," the young musician said came as a result of his discovery in the whiteman's land.
"I have traveled abroad and discovered that white men still practice their cultural heritage. I was amazed when I saw masquerades in the western world. In Africa a lot of people have abandoned our tradition and embraced the foreign tradition due to western influence," he said.
The artist feels it is time "we in Nigeria and Africa as a whole began promoting what we have. The biggest power we have as Africans is the culture. We should not abandon the natural things God gave to us, like our traditional food and herbs which made our four fathers to live longer during their time. It is quite unfortunate that a good number of Africans do not know how to speak their native language.
"Many parents rather than teach their children how to speak their local dialect, train them with foreign language. While some of our brothers and sisters who travel abroad, end up staying longer than necessary without having a thought for their home land and as a result, forget our culture. We should try and encourage originality and interest in our culture," he emphasised.
Most of the tracks on Kingsley's recent album like, Why, Adaku, Kolo, Okwudili, African Heritage, Gini Kam Ga Eme and Rock De Party are hits, but at the moment, Kingsley is promoting Adaku and African Heritage, which he claims are good for the general audience coupled with the fact they are the infusion of pop and the African traditional music, the focus of his adventure.
Surprisingly, the musician has chosen a person from the literary field rather than from the music world, as his role model. Ngugi Wa Thiongo, a Kenyan writer, Kingsley said Thiongo is his role model. "I like him because of his ability to use his works to reform the society, and that is exactly what I aspire to do with my work of arts," the musician stressed
Recounting the challenges encountered in producing his album, Kingsley said it was not easy completing the album project, noting that some of the tracks he recorded in Beijing , China really gave him so much stress especially in the area of instructing his Chinese producer and engineers to give him the real African melody that he wanted.
He however thanked God that at last the work was successfully executed. The up and coming musician also had a little challenge trying to settle down here in Nigeria in the duo capacities of a showbiz executive and a performing artist. Combining the two jobs, to him, was very challenging.
Presently, Kingsley is done with one of his videos, Rock De Party, which is currently being aired on local and international television stations. "I'm making arrangement to shoot the remaining videos as soon as possible," he quickly added.
He boasted that some marketers are scrambling to market his album in Nigeria and abroad, revealing however that he had chosen to take off business with Onyi Music Nigeria enterprises. The Nigerian musician who has gone into collaboration with Hong Kong based artiste, Janice, said the partnership is part of his Afro-Asian integration project in music.
"This integration emanated as the result of my last tour of Asia. I discovered that African music is not well promoted and patronised in Asia, I was so touched and this reason prompted me to establish my Afro-Asia integration project in music and film".
To this end, Kingsley has concluded arrangement to remix one of his tracks titled "Rock De Party" with a Hong Kong based artiste (Janice). This, he intends to use as a promotional track and a strategic concept to storm the Asian market.
"My last tour of Asia was basically on business and research about what it takes to export Nigerian music to Asia and as well exploring the Asian market with Nigerian Arts which is not common in that part of the continent . American arts are well promoted and patronised in Asia. I strongly believe that Nigerian music has come to a greater standard that the whole world must be able to appreciate our good works, in this regards. What we need is just adequate awareness/publicity. I have made all the necessary arrangements in Asia for sufficient promotion of Nigerian music. Afro-Asia integration in film and music is my key concept for the project," Kingsley noted.
His type of music, he said is a complete African traditional music with the infusion of pop aimed at projecting "our cultural heritage and aesthetics of African tradition to the positive dimension. I aspire to use my music to promote African culture in the west and as a tool for total reformation in our society because all my lyrics contain educative themes.
"However, after the official release of the album, a prestigious welcome home ceremony/album presentation will be staged in Imo State," an idea initiated to promote originality and African heritage.
A Theatre Arts graduate of the Imo State University, Kingsley, the third son of late Dr Callistus Agubom did his one year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) at the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos between 2005 and 2006.
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